


Beautifully Unbound

by breath_of_mine (tsundanire)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Anal Sex, Angst, Auror Harry Potter, BDSM, Bearded Harry Potter, Bisexual Male Character, Blindfolds, Blow Jobs, Bonding, Community: hd_erised, Consensual Kink, Dirty Talk, Dom Draco Malfoy, Dom/sub, Family Dinners, Gay Male Character, Gloves, H/D Erised 2018, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Holidays, Impact Play, Light Bondage, M/M, Massage, Mental Health Issues, Minor Blaise Zabini/Narcissa Malfoy, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Mistletoe, Misunderstandings, Mystery, Orgasm Delay/Denial, POV Alternating, Past Relationship(s), Post-Hogwarts, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Praise Kink, Safewords, Sex Toys, Spanking, Sub Harry Potter, Subspace, Telepathic Bond, Therapy, Young Teddy Lupin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 00:46:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16651087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsundanire/pseuds/breath_of_mine
Summary: Auror Potter is sent on a mission to clear out deadly artifacts from a Death Eater Safehouse with Draco Malfoy. What could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brightowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightowl/gifts).



> Where do I even begin with this? Brightowl, thank you so much for the inspiration! I had an amazing time writing this for you, even if the story did get a little away from me. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this, thank you again for the inspiration!! I also have to thank my Alpha R, and my incredibly amazing betas C and F. I have no idea what I would have done without you guys. C, thanks for coming in at the last minute and literally dropping everything to help us. I don't think this would have gotten finished without you. And F... I mean, what could I possibly say to thank you for your incredible help? I love you both so much, thank you for coming on this journey with me.

The Ministry's Atrium was overly crowded, as usual, with folks streaming in and out of everywhere like bees inside a hive. Overhead, various owls and interdepartmental memos in all shapes dashed here and there among the scurrying wizards. In the center of the Ministry foyer stood the newly remade 'Fountain of Magical Brethren,' depicting equality among the various races and creatures.

Harry had always hated that fountain in the past, knowing that the real reason behind its existence was to coax voters appropriately. But now, as the water glimmered around the marble, Harry was rather proud of what it could mean to his generation. With Kingsley as the new Minister for Magic, Harry felt more sure about the direction the Ministry would be taking and had all the faith that everything was secure once more in a pair of corruption-free hands.

He waited briefly in the queue for one of the lifts that would take him to the Auror Offices. Even without completing his final year at Hogwarts, the Auror Academy opted to take Harry on, though it was most likely to do with his defeating a Dark Lord and all that. But he didn't let that outshine his abilities, which he proved more than once during training, and with more spells than just _Expelliarmus_. Upon graduation, Harry even received a few commendations out of excellence during training. Sure, there were days that were hard and gruelling, but for the most part it was honestly the most fun Harry had ever had since his years at Hogwarts. And unlike Hogwarts, he could actually learn without any threats of death looming in the distance.

But that didn't mean he was any less paranoid, which was ironically something his teachers all thought was a great quality to have in an Auror:

"Be vigilant. Always vigilant. Even when you think you're safe, there is wild magic out there, waiting to catch you completely unawares!"

It was one of the many things that had been drilled into Harry's head from day one. And perhaps due to all that paranoia from being chased by a mass murderer, Harry was always able to stay one step ahead of the traps laid out by his trainers. What had surprised him the most was how capable he'd been without the help of Hermione's library-sized knowledge, or Ron's exceptional strategy skills. That he'd earned all those commendations on his own merit made it that much more gratifying.

The doors to the lift opened, and Harry tucked himself in between two Ministry wizards he only barely recognised. He was fairly certain he'd met them during a recent fundraising gala, but couldn't be sure. Their faces, like many who worked here, blended in as seamlessly as their surroundings. But even though Harry had grown his hair just enough to cover his scar, and allowed his beard to thicken over his cheeks, people still recognized him wherever he went. Though to be fair, that tended to happen to people who had their entire life from childhood up splashed across every magazine, newspaper, and wizarding tabloid in existence.

The wizards smiled eagerly at him, forcing Harry to politely smile and nod right back at them. The lift doors closed and shot them straight up, but the magic inside the little box kept everyone well balanced. People and memos streamed in and out at every floor. Harry amused himself by guessing who the memo was from based on its shape. Most were paper airplanes, and thus indiscernible, but one or two were definitely from people he knew. The one in the shape of bird was from one of the girls (Flora) down in Department of Magical Transportation, specifically Broom Regulatory Control. Harry knew Flora quite well after a recent incident involving a case of illegally imported brooms from a foreign market. The brooms were the last part of an investigation that Harry had been the lead on for almost three years. He recalled getting dozens of those memos from Flora, and almost missed having one flutter delicately to his desk. Almost. The amount of paperwork in that case was enough to remind him that he never wanted to deal with brooms or that department again. They maintained a Hermione Granger-standard of organization down there.

As the lift doors opened again at Level Three and the two grinning wizards made their exit, Harry remembered why he recognized them. This floor was Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, home of the Muggle-Worthy Excuses Committee, which was where these two worked. Harry only remembered them due to their recent attendance at a Ministry ball, where he had also seen one Draco Malfoy. After the wizards had their made introductions, Malfoy had waited until they were out of earshot before informing Harry that their department was better known as "Department 51."

Harry couldn't recall laughing as hard as he had at any other function, let alone laughing that hard at a joke Malfoy had made - the joke wasn't even that funny… That was the last time he remembered seeing the blond. To Harry's knowledge, Malfoy was a determined stay-at-home bachelor who fiddled with archaic devices and other dark artifacts. Not that Harry could blame him of course, since it was unlikely anyone would employ a Malfoy.

His mind lingered on Malfoy as he exited the lift on top floor. After receiving the urgent owl at Grimmauld Place this morning, Harry didn't hesitate putting on his official Auror robes and make his way in. When you are summoned personally by the Minister, regardless of personal affiliation, you go.

Harry nodded at one of the Aurors posted at the Minister's closed door. He plopped himself in one of the cushy armchairs in the waiting room, and scratched at the scruff beneath his jaw. After a recent trim he looked more put together than he had a few days before, but he was still considering shaving most of it off and going for that clean-cut look again. But if he shaved, he'd be even more recognizable than he already was.

The door opened slightly, voices murmuring within before it opened wider and Head Auror Robards appeared.

"In ya get, boy," Robards growled in his usual gruff tone. It wasn't that he was angry, but his voice had that gravelly sound that made every word seem like it was chewed up and spat back out.

Harry obeyed, standing on command and entering the circular office. It was strange to see how the magic of the office adapted to each new Minister: colours shifting on the walls, windows appearing or disappearing depending on the level of sternness of the current Minister. Kingsley's office was reminiscent of Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts: neutral tones, tables filled with knick-knacks, and shelves crammed with oddities that whirred and jingled. It was spacious, tidy, and warm with the sun shining through massive windows. The desk was long and wide; not quite intimidating, but rather reminiscent of King Arthur and his knights, as everyone was welcome to his table.

At that moment, Harry realised it wasn't just himself and Robards that had been summoned. Seated at the head of the desk was of course Minister Kingsley, and to his right a lovely Hufflepuff girl whose name he still couldn't recall. Her skills as secretary to the Minister went beyond the norm; she had an unparalleled reputation for finding things that were almost certainly lost. Kingsley had sent her out on a few top secret missions with some of the Auror Recovery Teams in their search for various Death Eater particulars. The Aurors had her to thank for the recovery of several dark artifacts, restricted books, and banned potion ingredients.

That left the person in the tall chair facing away from Harry. He tried to discern who it was before reaching the table, but couldn't see around the high back of the chair until he took a seat for himself. Casually as he could, Harry glanced over to see the rather tall and (if he said so himself) elegant form of Draco Malfoy sitting beside him. Draco was in so many ways Harry's opposite, with his satiny blond hair that now reached his chin, and lengthy body that was as lithe and graceful as a swan. Where Harry had muscular bulk on his arms, a chest that was visually powerful, and thighs that seemed like they could snap any belt tied around them, Draco was more slender and had the appearance of almost being delicate. Of course, he couldn't know for sure as he'd never seen Draco without his severely dark robes covering almost every inch of his body. Though he'd certainly been curious about what lay beneath, especially during the days of discovering his own sexuality. (As curvy and winding as any river.)

"Mr Potter." Kingsley's voice pulled Harry back into the now, away from Draco Malfoy and the Disastrous Curiosity. Harry nodded at the Minister, wrenching his focus back to whatever issue he'd been called in for, which - with the appearance of Malfoy - had become ever more curious.

"Thank you for joining us today, Mr Potter. I can assure you that we are treating this meeting with the utmost secrecy, and will expect your complete discretion as of this moment forward."

Harry nodded, though he didn't really have much choice in the matter. Kingsley nodded in return.

"Very good. Sophie, the documents if you please? A copy for everyone, thank you."

The secretary, Sophie, stood and began passing out bound manila folders. Once everyone had a copy, she sat back down and waited for the Minister to open his package before opening her own. That seemed to be the signal for everyone to open theirs as well.

Inside were pinned papers and photographs, which seemed to be parts of various reports. Harry didn't recognize anything, and became less sure of why he'd been called into this meeting.

"Robards? If you please?" Kingsley motioned to the Head Auror, who waved his wand at the windows, transfiguring shades to block out the light. Another wave of his wand and Robards summoned a Muggle-looking machine onto the table that shot light against one wall. Harry recognized this device to be something like a Muggle projector, which was flashing the same various bits of information that was in their folders. Kingsley left his folder open at his desk and stood, manoeuvring himself to the wall displaying the current slide.

"As you all know," he said, "the last few years have been a massive joint effort between the Ministry and the wizarding community to clear through the leftover dark magic from the war. This includes restructuring the Auror department, the newest division replacing the Dementors at Azkaban, as well as the search and operation teams who've spent years undercover recovering books and artifacts that would be disastrous in the wrong hands."

Kingsley turned to Malfoy.

"I want to thank you for your assistance in that regard, Mr Malfoy, as without you there to help us sort the inventory, I'm certain that pieces would have quickly gone missing without us knowing."

Malfoy simply nodded, modest for once in his life. Normally Harry would have been the first to play down Malfoy's work, but even he had to admit that Malfoy had saved the department a lot of time and paperwork.

"In any event, our intel has led us to believe that a few of the Death Eaters created something the Muggles call a 'Safehouse.'" The Minister paused again, this time to allow time for everyone to rifle through their reports. The projector flipped slides at the same time, keeping pace with Kingsley's speech. "As you can see here," he pointed to the picture of a map being shown, where four little differently coloured pins were pressed in, "these are the locations we've managed to track down. The two pins marked in green are confirmed, accessed, and cleared. The third pin marked in yellow has been accessed and clearance is in progress. The last pin marked in black is the safehouse we've only just discovered and haven't been able to put together a team for yet."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the pin, flipping to another page in the report that only verified its location. There was no other listed information regarding the house, which Harry took to mean there was information but it had been strategically erased. He flicked a quick glance over to Malfoy who strangely had a similar look on his face.

"A calculated move on your part, Minister?" Harry prodded, turning his full attention back to Kingsley.

The Minister gave him a pleased look.

"We've lost good people to this effort and our resources are strained. I can't ask the community for more money to continue these efforts if we can't produce some evidence that we are succeeding in our quest."

Kingsley sat back down, placing his hands over the files on his desk.

"Boys, I'm not going to beat around any bushes here. I called you here with the specific intention of bringing you both into this mission. You two have the skills and expertise I require. Most importantly, I trust you with your discretion on this operation. I trust you because Dumbledore trusted you."

Harry's face remained impassive - a skill that had taken quite some time to master. A quick glance to his left showed Malfoy's expression was equally blank.

"What is it exactly that you want us to do… Sir?" Harry said carefully.

"If you turn to the last page in your folders, you will see your missions." Kingsley nodded to his Head Auror, who stepped forward to change the slide and take over the meeting.

"Right, boys! Here are your missions, should you choose to accept them. Potter, you are the best we have for recon, so you'll accompany Mr Malfoy to the Safehouse. Aside from general protection, you are to check for any lingering traps and tag them for disarming. I repeat, you are NOT to disarm any traps yourself, just tag them. Your main duty is to protect Mr Malfoy as he carries out his mission. Is that understood?"

Everyone turned to watch Harry's reaction to the mission and command. Clearly they were all expecting him to put up some kind of fight. But Harry was approaching a promotion and wasn't about to do anything to jeopardise that. And besides, Malfoy wasn't nearly the same kind of arsehole that he'd been back when they were at Hogwarts together. The war had changed them all in different ways, and Malfoy was no exception to that. Acting out against someone he was, at worst, indifferent about wasn't going to do any good. Harry closed his folder and placed it back on the desk in front of him before speaking.

"Understood, Sir. Is there anything else? When does the mission begin?"

Harry had hoped to head back to Grimmauld Place before going on this mission, and maybe send a letter to Ron cancelling their pub night. Worst case, he'd use one of the Ministry owls.

"Nothing else, Potter." Robards waved his wand to shut down the projector and simultaneously un-transfigure the blinds. "Report back here in one hour. Your mission starts then."

Harry nodded and stood. As much as he wanted to stay and listen to what Malfoy's mission was, he recognized the clear dismissal. Besides, everyone knew the Ministry pulled Malfoy in occasionally on jobs like this for identifying miscellaneous artifacts and the like. Pushing back his chair, he politely nodded to the blond in question, who nodded right back at him, expression still as neutral as ever. He wasn't keen on giving anything away, apparently. Harry swept out of the Minister's office and headed down to his office one floor below. One hour wasn't a lot of time, but he could at least Floo call Ron. His robes whirled around him while his mind tried to come up with a good enough excuse that didn't give away anything he couldn't talk about. Knowing Ron, he'd see right through Harry and probably even guess who else was involved… Because where Malfoy was concerned, Harry had never been able to keep it together in front of his friends.

_____

There was a definitive chill in the air, whipping around the trees as if the branches were an instrument only the wind could play. The first frost hadn't arrived yet, but considering they were already into December, Harry doubted it would be much longer. He tucked his gloved hands into his trouser pockets and continued down the path with Malfoy at his side. Malfoy was taller by a few inches - mostly leg - which meant Harry had to quicken his own step in order to keep up. The walk from the Apparition point had been quiet thus far and they still had a little ways to go yet. Harry felt awkward.

"So… What is it exactly they have you doing here?"

Draco sighed and Harry could almost see those grey eyes rolling.

"Small talk, Potter? Really?" Malfoy shook his head, and Harry watched the blond strands tickle the sharp edges of his cheeks.

"Better than walking in silence." Harry shrugged. "And if I know what you're supposed to be doing, then I'll know how to keep you safe."

It was a weak argument, and Harry could see that Malfoy knew it too just from the side glance he got. But for some reason, he still answered.

"There is something Minister Shacklebolt is looking for. A piece of dark magic that is relatively unknown in this part of the world. Both old and valuable, which means someone or many someones will be looking for it. The Minister is hoping to find it before they do, and destroy it." Malfoy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. Harry didn't think it suited him all that much; it made him look far more stern than he probably was.

"I doubt they'll let that happen, though."

Harry blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as honourable a man as I'm quite certain the Minister is, do you honestly think the Ministry would allow the destruction of something so old and valuable? When so much research and advancement could be done instead?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"No, I don't suppose they would. Then again, you could always do what I did with the Elder wand and just destroy it before anyone even realizes."

Malfoy snorted.

"Please, do you really think they'd let me get away with something like that? They probably awarded you a medal for it and lauded you for your bravery."

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. Malfoy would never understand.

The air whipped around Harry once more, but this time he quickly stepped in front of Malfoy, keeping his wand arm forward and the other flung out to the side to keep Malfoy back.

"Wha-?"

"Don't move." Harry narrowed his Seeker-sharp eyes, inhaling the strangely putrid smell coming from the path before them. The forest had got denser around them, closing off the freshness from the fields before, but the scent of damp earth and crushed leaves had still been strong. Now, Harry realized, they must be close to their destination, as the rancid stench of death was overpowering. Covering his nose with the inside of his left arm, Harry pulled out his wand with his right hand and aimed it towards the direction they were headed.

"We're close. Stay behind me at all times, even when we make it into the house. I don't know what we're walking into." The words themselves had been said by Harry dozens of times, partly in practice runs at the academy, and partly in actuality to people he'd been tasked to protect. And yet, they felt so strange now. Had you told sixth year Harry that he would be risking his life to ensure Malfoy's protection, he'd likely have called you barmy or some other name. But here they were, with Harry actually giving a bloody damn as to whether Malfoy lived or died.

Even stranger was watching Malfoy simply nod and keep a safe distance behind Harry. True, the Slytherin had a penchant for saving his own skin before that of anyone else, but Harry was inclined to think that this was less about that, and more about truly believing that Harry knew best in this scenario.

They approached the edge of a clearing and saw something like a cottage situated in the middle. Although innocuous enough, there was something very strange about the magical energy in the field. The cottage sat innocently over a bed of extremely green grass, but everything was still, even in the wind. His thoughts must have shown on his face because Malfoy moved closer and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you thinking possible spell work as repellant?"

Harry shook his head.

"Not repellant per se, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten this close. No, they probably didn't put any repellants for fear of losing the location themselves. Besides, why use repellant when they can just make it look occupied by normal people?"

Malfoy tilted his head at this.

"Why would it look any different when occupied by Death Eaters?" The tone was sharp, as if daring Harry to say something about Malfoy's own mark.

Harry barely resisted rising to Malfoy's bait. Instead he waved his wand in an intricate pattern while reciting several incantations under his breath - a set of charms he'd learned during 'Recon and Recovery' at the Academy. Its primary goal was to identify the layers of spell-work laced over the area, all the while colour-coding various levels of danger. In this case there were three colours weaving together, and curved above the field like a dome: Red, of course, indicated the more difficult and dangerous spells, ones that were often dependant on the other spells laced with it, and were often times triggered in a domino or cascade effect with the others. The blue spells were not harmful, acting as a proprietary warning system for anyone lingering inside to give them ample time to escape. Lastly the gold coloured spells, lying overtop like some kind of latticework shield, were intended to hide something. The gold spells could have been a shield, repellant, or another type of spell that changed someone's point of view, but Harry had the distinct feeling that this spell was being used to hide the true nature of what lay here.

Malfoy blinked but said nothing, either surprised by Harry's skill, or entranced by the beauty of the interlacing spells.

"It's not that this place would look different because of the Death Eaters… But we both know what happens to a place when excessive dark magic lingers for a long time…" Harry gave Malfoy a pointed look, but he only nodded in reply.

They both recalled how Malfoy Manor had looked during Voldemort's stay, and how beautiful it had become after the last of the dark magic had been wiped from his home. Malfoy narrowed his eyes at the scene that lay before them, finally coming to the same conclusion that Harry had. The grass was too green, the air was too still, the smell didn't correlate to what they were seeing… Everything was just a shade off, and anyone else would have kept walking, perhaps assuming that some animal or something had died over here.

"Right, I'll untangle some of these and see where that gets us…"

Harry rolled up the sleeves of his robes, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and set to work. He took no notice of how Malfoy watched him, entranced by the delicate wand movements and the way Harry looked almost angry when he concentrated. He didn't see as Malfoy took a nice long look at his body from top to bottom, chewing his bottom lip. No, Harry was so focused on his work that he didn't even realize a whole hour and a half had passed.

When he finally stepped back, he was sore, stiff, and achy, and his head and back were damp with sweat. He puffed out a breath and looked around for Malfoy, who was sitting with his back against a tree and reading from a notebook.

"I've done all I can. It's going to take a team to tear down the rest of it, but at least we have a way in and out now." Harry motioned towards the door-sized hole he'd created out of the spells.

"Fine. Can we go in then? I'm want to make myself useful," Malfoy griped, though his voice didn't carry the same aggressive heat that it had during their school years.

Malfoy stood, stretching out his long limbs and giving Harry a fantastic view of every inch of his lithe body. Shaking the thought out of his head, Harry aimed his wand at the entrance.

"I'll go in first and give you an all clear."

Malfoy nodded and stepped aside to allow Harry to enter the clearing first.

The difference between the real clearing and the fake one was immediately clear. The grass was not only dead, but blackened into an oily tar-like substance that got thicker the closer Harry got to the cabin. The cabin itself looked rundown and dilapidated, more like the image Harry had expected to see when they arrived. There were scorch marks on the building and on some of the thicker trees surrounding the clearing, giving Harry the impression that quite the fight had taken place here.

Harry set himself to task identifying any traps or hidden spells leading up to the cabin itself. There weren't many left, but there were traces of some that had been triggered long before their arrival. Harry surmised that whoever had been duelling here was likely also responsible for triggering those traps.

"You're good, Malfoy. Just follow the green spell line. That's the safest path through."

"Ugh. This… is absolutely disgusting," Malfoy groaned, making a face. He quickly tiptoed through the green path up to Harry's side while pressing his arm to his nose in hopes of blocking out the sickly sweet smell of rot. "Can you please just hurry the fuck up so we can get inside?"

"Why would you think it smells any better in there?" Harry snorted, tagging spells as they moved together towards the cabin door.

"Because if I let myself imagine that it gets worse than this, I will legitimately retch all over you."

"You'll be responsible for my dry cleaning bill in that case." Harry traced a spell over the cabin's door, but it showed nothing. "Hmm… Strange."

"Ugh - what, Potter? _What_ is so damn strange?" Malfoy spat out impatiently, moving his weight from foot to foot.

"There's no warding or anything over the door or house… You'd think with all the spells covering the area, they would at least put something on the door."

"They were probably in a rush to leave, judging by the state of the traps already detonated."

Harry considered this. The evidence was all there, he just hated that he and Malfoy actually agreed on something. With that settled, he opened the door and slowly creeped inside, ignoring Malfoy's impatient huff outside.

"I'm risking my life for you, so don't rush me!" Harry stated.

"My, you are bossy when you want to be, aren't you, Potter?"

Harry could hear the smirk, but didn't want to picture what underlying meaning Malfoy could mean. He had to focus.

"I can't imagine what it might be like to see someone out-boss you. Would you fight it like you usually do, with that lion-headed, Gryffindor brutishness?"

Malfoy's voice had taken on a strangely intriguing tone, as he walked a step or two behind Harry. Again, Harry tried to tune him out, focusing instead on tracing and tagging the spells around them. He could see bookshelves lined with forbidden literature, as well as glass cases filled with artifacts that he wasn't at all familiar with. The interior reminded him of Borgin and Burkes. There was a fizzling spark coming from one of the tables, which was filled with various objects and books, and Harry moved closer to investigate.

"Or would you unravel and submit if that someone got you on your knees?" Malfoy continued.

"Ugh, we get it, Malfoy. You're bent and you want to see me on my knees. Frankly, who doesn't these days?" Harry grumped, knowing every gay wizard this side of the globe had read the recent _Quibbler_ article that had accidentally outed him with a _telling_ photo. They moved closer to the table, Malfoy nattering incessantly at his back. It wasn't until they were right at the table, and the spark flared, that Harry realized they might be in trouble.

"Malfoy, get DOWN!" Harry launched himself at Malfoy, using his body as a physical shield as the trap detonated and caused that entire side of the cabin to explode.

That was all Harry could remember before he blacked out. Not Malfoy yelling out his name, not the burning sensation over his entire body, and certainly not feeling his exposed arm brush against an artifact at the same time Malfoy's arm did.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry's brain awakened with a series of rapid blinking synapses, stars bursting like blinking lights behind his eyes, and although he felt as sore as he would after a game of Quidditch, he couldn't feel any radiating pain. As soon as his brain caught up, Harry realized how strange that was, considering the last thing he remembered was protecting Malfoy from spell damage.

There was a foggy cotton feeling in his mouth and over his eyes, making it hard to stay conscious. But he fought through it, and managed to crack one eye open.

From what he could tell, the fuzzy somewhat orange blob had to be Ron sitting to his right, reading what was probably a Chudley Cannons magazine, while Hermione's voice floated in from the hall.

Seeing Harry start to wake, Ron shouted for Hermione, who came running in with the nurse on her heels. The nurse checked Harry's vitals, and briefly explained what the bedside buttons do, before she stepped out and allowed them a moment of privacy.

"Where's my glasses?" Harry reached around blindly.

"Here." Ron handed them over, having grabbed them from what Harry could only assume had been the table beside his bed.

"How long have I been out?" Harry slipped the lenses on his face, wincing as his world came in to focus again.

"About a week." Ron placed his magazine on the table and folded his arms across his chest. Hermione pulled up a chair beside Ron and placed her hand gently on Harry's.

"How do you feel, Harry?"

"Fine, all considering. Actually I don't even know what _considering_ is at this point. Does anyone know what happened? How did I even get here?" As the fog started to dissipate, the questions came to his mind rapid-fire. But his friends must have been expecting that, as they were prepared with answers for all of his questions.

"Well, we don't know too much about how you got there, or why you were there." Hermione eyed Harry shrewdly. "However, Malfoy says you were on a mission together and you were hit with some kind of burning curse. He won't tell us more than that, as it's apparently _classified_." Hermione rolled her eyes, even using air quotations around 'classified.'

Harry tried not to chuckle at her expense, and instead bit down on his lip to keep his amusement to himself.

"In any case, he Apparated you both here, and since I'm your emergency contact, they Flooed us right away."

Harry nodded and worked through his muscles, taking stock of what was working and what hurt. Surprisingly he felt pretty good, if a bit restless.

"So if I was hit with a curse, how come I feel perfectly fine?"

"When Malfoy brought you in, there was massive damage to most of your body. They weren't sure how much they'd be able to fix, but between Malfoy's knowledge of ancient magic, and the Healers' determination, they were able to get you back to almost perfect."

"Almost?" Harry raised a brow, not liking the sound of that.

"Well, with any kind of curse, sometimes there is residual damage. There's a lot they don't know, a lot of missing information, even with the Head Healer being brought in on the more classified information. However, they've been monitoring you for the last week and there hasn't been any lasting damage," Hermione added cheerfully.

"So when can I leave?"

"We aren't entirely sure, Harry. That's going to depend on when the Healers decide to release you."

Harry sighed but he knew the staff were just doing their jobs. Though, he'd feel better the moment he could sleep in his own bed again. Something about sleeping in the hospital gave him the wiggins.

"What happened to Malfoy? Is he alright at least?"

Ron raised a brow at the sudden concern for their former enemy, but Harry felt bad knowing he had possibly put someone in danger, even if that someone was Malfoy.

"He's alright," Hermione responded. "Only minor injuries, thanks to your heroic efforts." She smiled at Harry's bravery.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was sulking right now, because he had to get saved by the Chosen One." Ron grinned, enjoying the mental image, while Hermione rolled her eyes at his childishness.

What impressed Harry the most, however, was realizing the extent to Malfoy saving him. The cabin had been a decent walk from the Apparition point, and if Harry was unconscious, then Malfoy would have had to carry Harry's body back the entire way, as well as Side-Along Apparate to St Mungo's.

_____

After a day or so, Harry was released under his friend's care but insisted on being returned back to Grimmauld Place.

While home, Harry puttered around feeling of sorts and off balance. He looked in the mirror, taking stock of his previous scars and checking for any new ones. He noted how his body had changed over the years, still feeling a bit uncomfortable with himself due to his upbringing even with a body most other people would kill for.

Kreacher helped by bringing food and warm blankets, 'Fresh out the laundry like Master Potter likes.' But he knew to keep a distance for now, at least until Harry was mentally recovered.

The first night went by almost smoothly, except for the fact that Harry's dreams were the strangest he's had since Hogwarts. He dreamt of himself, and his friends, but saw them all through a different perspective, as if through someone else's eyes. And he felt differently about some of those situations, as if feeling someone else's emotions.

He saw an afternoon during one of their early years, when they were all outside by the lake. Hermione poured over a couple feet of parchment, while Ron, Seamus, and Dean all tossed a Quaffle around. Luna sat in the tree, her feet dangled below the branch, and just watched them, and finally Ginny and Harry poured over a parchment covered with Quidditch plays, clearly trying to throw together a plan for this year's season.

Harry watched, like an outsider, feeling alone and frustrated. The feelings of intense stress, fear, and angry frustration only seemed to build as he watched their group. And although it was strange to feel that way about himself and his friends, the feeling of jealousy so strong, it was almost palpable, came to the forefront.

When Harry woke the next morning, he could barely remember the dream itself, but he found it strange to feel such strong negative emotions towards himself and his friends.

_____

At least a week passed before Harry was so bored out of his mind, he resembled a dog pacing back and forth. There was a tense, restless energy that could be seen simply in the set of his shoulders. By the time the following Monday rolled around, Harry was dressed in his Auror robes by barely half six, at least two hours too early for anyone to be in his department yet, but he was guaranteed a pile of paperwork from his latest mission.

Taking the Floo, he was spat out in the Ministry Atrium and he followed his usual path to the lifts and up to his office on the second level, just one level below the Minister's office.

Although there were some people working early (and more than a few working late), the Auror offices were fairly empty, meaning Harry would have some peace for a few hours at least. Guaranteed Ron would be in a little later as he could never get up on time, regardless of the fact that now he lived with Hermione, who was perpetually early to everything.

And as just he expected, Harry entered his shared office to see a stack of paperwork. Most of it was likely just build-up from his absence last week, but he was also sure that some of it was incident reports and other files pertaining to the mission. He unbuttoned his overcoat, slung it over the back of his chair, and sank into the plush fabric of the rolling chair. Their office was one of the few that fit only two, whereas the others were made to fit several more desks. The rest of the team was usually out in the field, teaching at the academy, or using one of the temporary desks set up in the annex.

Harry pulled over part of the stack as well as a quill and ink in hopes of working through as much of the stack as possible before the distractions started streaming in.

The early hours went pretty smoothly and Harry found he accomplished quite a bit of paperwork in that time. He considered coming in that early more often if it meant getting rid of more of his daytime work faster. Paperwork was the bane of his existence, and often reminded him of the long essays his professors had set him. (Namely Professor Binns's insanely long History of Magic essays on the Goblin Rebellions)

He looked to the right side of his desk where he'd set aside a few of the reports. Those ones needed Malfoy's signature and approval before he submitted them, namely because they involved more of his work than Harry's. Thinking of Malfoy made Harry rub at a spot on his chest which felt itchy and prickly. There was a strange fogginess in his head that made him think he ought to get some coffee, as he'd been at these papers for quite a while. Something like a shiver ran down his spine and, though weird, it left pleasure coiling in his belly. Most of this Harry could have brushed aside as just needing a wank, but there was something else in his head - as if a thought that wasn't his own was being pushed in.

Terrified, Harry's first instinct was to try and block it out, but he'd never been a skilled Legilimens, and instead of the mental brick wall he'd hoped to create, Harry's mind was filled with the most erotic images of naked men he could possibly think of.

There wasn't any cohesion to it, it seemed scattered and as if the person having these thoughts couldn't decide on what they wanted to think about. Finally the images settled on two men: a slimmer man standing, the other kneeling. There wasn't anything recognizable in their features aside from the slimmer man being blond and the other having black hair. The image moved in a dream-like sequence, and Harry found he was mesmerised by the sight of the blond man. In his hand, he gripped something that trailed to the floor like a length of tail and, though the voice was muffled, it seemed like there was an express order.

The scene changed and the other man now had his naked body arched over a table, arse exposed. The snake-like fabric dragged along the ground, while the blond man circled the table dangerously. When he was in position behind the other man, the whip lifted and struck forcefully against the flesh of the other man's arse. Almost immediately a long stripe of red blossomed across both cheeks. The man groaned.

Sensation tingled up Harry's spine and spilled over his lap; his eyes fell shut on a soft sigh. He didn't know what was happening, but he was certain it wasn't because he'd forgotten to take care of things again. Someone else's thoughts and feelings were washing over him, making him harder and hornier than he'd been in years. It was hard to clear his mind from the fog, so he figured it was best just to see where things went. Then maybe he'd write Hermione… No, maybe not Hermione - Ron? Luna? Who the hell was he going to talk to about having someone in his head again? And this time a little less murdery, and a lot more sexual.

Harry groaned, hips rolling in his seat as another wave of pleasure hit him, another image of the same black-haired man getting his arse wailed on by the blond man's hand. The arse rippled with the force of each blow, getting pinker and pinker with each smack. It was sort of intriguing - Harry wondered how it might feel. Would it be as pleasurable as it seemed, or was it only like that in fantasy?

He was so incredibly hard now that it was almost painful being restrained by his trousers. Each time he arched his hips up, his cock managed to graze the underside of his desk, which wasn't ideal but did help to relieve some of the pressure. His grasped at the arms of his chair, knuckles turning almost white from the force of his grip. More images flashed through his mind, as if whoever it was in his mind was getting closer and closer to the edge as well. The images ranged from the black-haired male getting fucked roughly against a wall, to images of him being bound by lengths of rope. It all moved so fast that Harry barely had a chance to think before he was rubbing himself eagerly on the underside of his desk, mind filled with images of both men coming all over each other. It made no sense of course, but most fantasies tended to lose coherency towards the end anyways. But it was enough to push him over the edge he'd been desperately clinging to.

Which was of course, exactly when Ron decided to arrive to their office, and Harry was forced to hunch forward and bite down a groan. Ron barely even looked up from his copy of this morning's _Daily Prophet_ , quoting out loud about Rita Skeeter's latest attempt at smearing their names. When he finally did look over at Harry, it was to see his friend flushed and slightly out of breath, hunched over a pile of paperwork.

"You alright, mate? You're looking a little off. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come back right away."

"Nah. S'fine. Just got here early and feeling a bit knackered now."

Harry waved his best friend off casually. Now wasn't the time to get into his new issues. If anyone had a whiff of something being wrong, Harry would be forced back to Grimmauld on sick leave faster than he could say Hogwarts. Besides, Harry mused as he wordlessly cast a quick _Scourgify_ on his pants, he needed a few signatures on these reports… Including one from Malfoy.


	3. Chapter 3

_… which means they want verification on things that I am magically obligated never to speak of unless in certain company. In either case, I'll meet with you tomorrow, if that works for you? I'm free between nine and eleven in the morning, or seven in the evening onward._

Draco's eyes scanned the parchment once more, ensuring not a single phrase was misspelled or out of place. Everything in perfect order - it was a constant requirement in Draco's life these days. One small thing out of place and everything was thrown off balance, leaving Draco to feel like he was drowning. The medi-witches at St Mungo's had claimed it was all psychosomatic, but that didn't make him feel any better about having PTSD. Sure, there were likely loads of people who suffered trauma during the war, so why should he have any pity towards his own predicament…? There were people who lost their lives, lost their families, lost everything. Meanwhile, the Malfoy vaults remained untouched, as did the Manor. Although, untouched was probably not the most accurate term when speaking of the Manor.

It had been touched, tainted even, by darkness and evil in human form. Just like in the safehouse clearing, dark magic left unchecked could leave its mark on a place. The Manor had become like a bruised apple. The dark wound was festering beneath its pristine surface. If Draco had his way, he would have demolished the Manor and scoured every inch of the land with any cleansing spells he could think of. But it would never be enough.

No, Draco knew the only way to be rid of the evil that lingered, clinging to his body like an invisible gelatinous blanket, would be to leave and never come back.

Part of him stayed because he'd never ventured out into the world for himself, never knew what was out there waiting. (Though Draco knew there couldn't be anything worse out there than what he'd experienced in the Manor.) The other part of him worried about his mother after losing his father, regardless of the fact that Narcissa was twice his age and was a grown witch. For all they'd gone through together, Draco was still Narcissa's only child, and he didn't want to disappoint her. But even that was bound to happen when she eventually learned he had no interest in marrying the pure-blooded witches of her choosing. Or his interest in marrying women at all… Frankly his disinterest in marrying at all would be its own issue.

Sealing the letter with wax, Draco brought it over to the window where he attached it to the waiting owl and sent it on its way.

The last thing he did, before supper, was take a look over a recently acquired piece of dark magic - where one of his detection spells was currently running diagnostics and spelling details into a notebook. It was a handy piece of magic that he'd created specifically to help catalogue and index the collected artifacts, saving months of paperwork.

A polite knock at his door dragged his attention away from the running experiments. Reluctantly, Draco rose from his office chair to answer the door, finding his Mother, still stunning even after all these years. The war should have been hard on her features, like it had been for his father, but the only signs of strain were in the shadows of her eyes and the tightness in her hands. He knew her body was equally frail, but it was hard to visualise when she covered herself in lengths of fabric of formal robes. His father, on the other hand, had died within a year of the Manor's restoration. It had been a hard year for them both, but they also knew how dependant on the dark magic Lucius' body had become, whereas Draco and Narcissa had been able to adapt after. Medi-witches had told them it also had to do with their natures, their willingness to move past the darkness and into the light. Lucius had never gotten past his prejudices and was therefore unable to cope with the magical cleansing the Manor had undergone.

As hard as it had been, Narcissa and Draco had found their way out of the darkness together - and now, as always, she had a smile for just for him.

"Are you ready for supper, dear?"

Draco glanced behind him, ensuring everything was in order, before turning back with a nod. He stepped forward and closed the door behind him, then offered his arm to his mother.

"Shall I escort you?"

Narcissa smiled, clearly proud. Draco felt satisfied that at least he could make his mother happy in this way.

As they walked through the Manor, Narcissa asked about Draco's day and newest acquisitions. She wasn't thrilled about hosting more dark magic under her roof, but she was one who firmly believed that if it looked squeaky clean on the outside, then it must be clean on the inside too. The Black daughters had all been stunning through their youth and highly sought after for marriage. Druella Black had made it clear that beauty was cherished. Anything else was to be discarded.

Draco had always wondered, if he had been born ugly, would he have been discarded as well? Now, of course, he had new traits to be concerned over, and they were certainly worth being disowned over. To his understanding, Draco was not the first gay pure-blood in their family, but it was clear that everyone put that aside in order to continue the family lineage. They all took lovers in the end, but so had the wives, and everyone was fine with that arrangement. As much as Draco cared for his family and wanted to do right by them, he was done sacrificing himself for their family name. Enough had been stolen from his future by the Malfoy name becoming synonymous with Death Eaters, regardless of never having been officially accused. Those who had fought in the Final Battle knew, and that was enough.

Only a small handful of people even gave him the time of day, and most were people inside Harry Potter's inner circle. Of all the people to defend him, Draco hadn't seen that coming.

"Did you hear me, Draco?" Narcissa tilted her head to look at him.

"So sorry, Mother. My mind was occupied. Would you mind repeating?"

Narcissa frowned and Draco mentally chastised himself. She hated having to repeat herself. It was extremely uncouth.

"I said, have you reviewed the invitations for the Winter Balls? There are not as many this year - invitations, that is. I shouldn't say I'm surprised, however. But should you show interest in one of the many debutants, then I am certain we will see far more invitations." She sounded bitter. Draco knew she partially blamed Lucius, but she had her own blame to share in that. She'd made her own choices that had nothing to do with her husband.

"We shall see, Mother. I have a fairly full schedule ahead of me, so you may have to pick for yourself and attend without me."

Narcissa paused mid-step, but Draco was ready for it and grasped her in such a way that she either had to keep walking or trip over her own feet.

"Draco…" she started warningly. But the threat washed over Draco like the rest of his patience. To anyone watching from the outside, it may have seemed like a complete flip in his personality, but she knew better than to push him where work was concerned.

"Mother, let it go please. I've given you my answer and that should be sufficient," he said sternly as they arrived at the dining room. He pulled out her chair and helped ease her into the seat.

As he took his seat to her right, Draco knew she was going to make him feel guilty for his outburst. As if on cue, he heard her sniffle quietly into her napkin while house-elves brought out the first course.

"Mother…"

"No, no. It's fine, Draco," she replied. Draco knew full well she was doing this to make him feel even guiltier.

"Mother, please." He grasped her frail hand in his. "You know I'm not doing this on purpose. I have to work hard at what I do, otherwise no one will take our name seriously again."

He knew that was the wrong thing to say, of course, as she whipped her hand out of his and threw her napkin beside her place setting.

"Your Father and I did everything we could for you."

"I know that, Mother. I'm not saying - "

Narcissa cut him off, pushing her chair out. Apparently it was going to be one of _those_ nights. She'd had moments where the medi-witches had needed to sedate her, claiming it was her mind's way of dealing with the trauma, but there was no permanent way to heal her. They'd given her medication to be taken daily, citing Muggle terms like 'chemical' and 'hormonal fluctuations,' but Draco had tuned out at that point. Narcissa was determined to remain in complete control of her own mind and body so she'd forced the staff to allow her sole responsibility over her medication.

Unfortunately that meant there were times when she'd forget. Her personality flipped as quickly as a light-switch, and suddenly the whole world was against her.

Standing up with her, Draco gathered her into a hug. It was still strange, and had only been something they'd done in the last year or so.

"Come along, Mother. Why don't we go back to your room and have a little rest. I'll have one of the elves come bring you some tea and a bite to eat in a bit."

Narcissa took a breath and looked slightly faint, as if coming out of an Imperius.

Draco carefully escorted his mother to her room, settling her in an armchair near the window. He wrapped one of her knitted afghans over her shoulders and snapped his fingers for a house-elf.

"Yes, Master?"

"Madam Malfoy requires a pot of tea and some of those biscuits she likes. You can bring her a plate of dinner later if she's feeling up to it." Draco lowered himself in order to keep the rest of his comments for elf ears only.

"Mix the evening's medication in with the tea? I'm certain she's only forgotten this morning's, but I'd rather not take any chances."

The house-elf bowed and vanished in a puff of smoke. Narcissa was out in her own little world now, and no longer reacted to Draco's presence. As he took brisk steps back to the dining room, he knew there was only one more thing to do to bring her back, and it was something he dreaded every time.

His pace quickened once he arrived at the main fireplace. Long fingers grasped a handful of Floo powder and tossed into the flames.

"Zabini Manor."

Draco narrowed his eyes, hating every second of this.

"Draco," came Blaise's lustrous voice, as smooth as caramel dripping and just as sweet. There was a time when Draco had fantasised about the true Prince of Slytherin, but it was never to be. Blaise's attentions had always been for a completely different Malfoy.

"She needs you," Draco snapped and closed the call, knowing Blaise would Apparate over quickly.

Instead, he turned to the dining table where the evening's first course had gone cold. He lifted a lip in disgust and snapped for another house-elf to come and collect the wasted meal.

"Just…bring me a drink. Something strong."

Draco was half-way through his second drink when Blaise finally arrived; a house-elf brought him to the study Draco had decided to occupy instead of attempting to eat. Dinner tonight would be the bottom of another bottle.

"That bad, then?" was the first thing Blaise said, as if it had any chance of killing the tension. There was some part of Blaise that seemed certain if he'd cracked enough jokes, then maybe it would be enough to bring their friendship round again.

Draco didn't even flick a glance his way. It wasn't worth the effort. Things would never be the same for them. Of course, they'd both fought hard at first, when they both still cared about the friendship, but as time went on and Blaise continued to pursue Draco's mother, Draco found he couldn't even maintain a single thread of positive feeling towards his ex-friend.

Blaise sighed and turned to head out of the study, but lingered at the door frame.

"You know, it's not my fault that you were in love with me. You should have known I could never return your feelings."

It was the wrong thing to say, but Blaise always felt that hate was a better emotion than complete neutrality. Draco snarled and hurled his glass he was holding at the wall where Blaise's head had been moments before.

_____

It was a long time later, after a wash and a change into pyjama bottoms, when Draco allowed his mind to wander over recent events. He'd not heard much from or about Potter since the incident, but clearly he'd been fine since he'd received Draco's owl.

Draco looked in the mirror, scrubbing a hand over his tired face. The palest blond fur creeped in along his jawline, but he'd worry about that in the morning. No one to impress tonight. His hair was getting out of hand as well, Draco noted while pulling on one of the ends. However, he chuckled to himself, there was no denying the way Potter's eyes had taken in his appearance. After more than six years of studying every minute detail of Potter's face, Draco could read Potter's expressions like no one else.

Still, thinking of that strange day reminded Draco of the pure Gryffindor instincts Potter possessed - he was well suited to his job as an Auror. As Draco slipped between the sheets of his bed, he recalled how Potter had thrown himself in front of Draco as the explosion blasted through the small space. There was something hovering on the edge of his mind that he couldn't quite grasp. There was something he was forgetting.

It was about an hour later, Draco had gotten three chapters into his novel, when the first flash of rage appeared. It came on so strong, Draco tossed his novel across the room. Perhaps he hadn't put the earlier incident with Blaise completely out of mind. But then more thoughts began to filter through: anger, sadness, and… profound loss. Draco froze, heart pounding in his chest: those weren't his thoughts. Finally, a single image flickered through his mind, and seemed to tie together.

It was a Muggle contraption Draco had seen a few times. A _motobike_? A machine with two wheels, meant to be ridden like a broomstick. Of course, because it was a Muggle-made machine, it wasn't meant to fly, but Draco was left with the distinct feeling that this one did.

The emotions came through his mind in words that didn't quite make sense.

_…can't fix it…_  
_…need him…_  
_…supposed to do?_  
_…hurts…_

_____

Harry threw the wrench halfway across the garage, watching with grim satisfaction as it bounced across the wall and clattered to the floor. He was no closer to fixing Sirius' bike, nor was this helping him through his Godfather's birthday.

His only success tonight was to remind himself how shitty life was without Sirius; that another year had passed and Sirius hadn't gotten any older would always make Harry profoundly sad, especially as he got closer to surpassing the age Sirius was when he died. There was no one left in Harry's life to fill the gaping hole in his heart, and though his friends were supportive, they still weren't enough to make him forget the anguish of losing the only man he'd ever loved.

But the bottom of a bottle of Ogden's Finest just might.


	4. Chapter 4

The afternoon sun was bright in the sky, but not close enough to earth to vanish the chilly wind whipping through Diagon Alley. Although it was the weekend, the streets were relatively free of people. The few shoppers braving the cold, were bundled to the nose with scarves and heavy coats. An excited screech filled the air as little Edward Lupin bolted into a flock of pigeons, sending them off in a flurry of wings and feathers, while Harry was left chasing from behind.

Ron and Hermione, having Flooed over from Hogwarts for the weekend, took up walking slowly behind them, hands intertwined. To no one's surprise, they had decided wait on marriage, and simply continued dating while Hermione went back to help teach; she often visited on long weekends. Without Harry around, Hermione said, the halls of Hogwarts were filled with studying and learning, rather than chaos and danger.

Ron cherished her visits and Harry did his best to allow them their alone time. He'd been tempted to give them the afternoon alone as well, but they'd insisted on joining him on his shopping trip with Teddy. Hermione wanted to pick Andromeda's mind about something, and Ron wanted to give Teddy a gift.

Today, like most days, Teddy had picked out his own outfit, with dark blue hair to match, and raven's feathers sticking out at random. His eyes were a strange shade of black, as if he was attempting to mimic the look of Ravenclaw's mascot.

Harry let Teddy race ahead with the pigeons. Scratching at his beard, he turned to watch Ron and Hermione lazily catch up.

"Do you think he'll ever settle on a look, mate?" Ron hummed, fingers twining gently around Hermione's. Her cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink, either from the cold or Ron's obvious attentions. Harry smiled sadly at his best friends.

Harry fell into stride beside them. Most of the shopping was done, now he was just buying Andromeda some time to herself. At least until tonight, when he'd arranged to meet Draco Malfoy at his office to finalise reports.

"I dunno. He'll grow out of it eventually, but Andromeda said that Tonks was wild in her choices as well until she started at Hogwarts."

"With his family supporting him, he'll be doing tricks for his friends to make them laugh, like his mother did with us," Hermione added fondly.

Ron nodded sagely, shifting his scarf a little tighter around his neck. Harry hardly heard them, a vacant expression on his face. He shook himself from reverie as he didn't need his friends worrying needlessly, lest they try to bring him back to St Mungo's for a check-up.

"You alright, Harry?" Ron prodded delicately.

Harry blinked a few times, as if catching up mentally to where they were. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, flicking a glance to where Teddy was still shrieking at birds.

"Yeah, sorry. Just didn't sleep well last night is all." Harry laughed sheepishly, bringing up a hand to scratch his head. Harry could tell Ron didn't really believe him, but thankfully didn't pry.

"Have you been for your check-up at St Mungo's?"

_Fuck._

Harry narrowed his eyes and shook his head; he then moved away to end the discussion, and scooped Teddy up in his arms. Teddy squirmed and giggled and tried to get away. But the more he did, the more constrictive Harry's arms became, and the more his fingers began to tickle.

"Noooooo! Ha-Haaaarrryyyy!" Teddy struggled.

"Ohoho! Bet you didn't think you'd get caught by the…. TICKLE MONSTER!"

People in shops stared, and passers-by smiled fondly. Harry couldn't help but let the happy feelings fill him. They may have been a weird little family, but they were a family. His godson was happy, and that made everything worth it. Harry let Teddy down, giving him a chance to shake the giggles off, before taking his hand and continuing their walk.

"Can we go home now?" Teddy tilted his head back to look at Harry while he spoke.

"Sure. Let's make a quick stop at Fortescue's first and pick up something sweet for your Nan, yeah?"

"YEAH!" Teddy bounced excitedly, dragging Harry along by the hand so hard that Harry looked like a floppity rag-doll.

 

 

_____

 

 

"Naaaaana! We brought you somethiiiing!" Teddy yelled excitedly from the foyer while Harry struggled to remove his outerwear.

"Teddy! Come back, you've still got muddy boots on!" Harry whined. "Sorry about the mess! I'll clean it up after we get settled!" Harry called out, catching only a murmur in response.

Suddenly, a loud shriek filled the air, and Harry bolted. He tore through the house, until he arrived in the living room, where apparently Andromeda was having guests… Well, _a_ guest - he'd managed to mistake the newly blond Teddy for a Malfoy, like the elder blond sitting on one of Andromeda's tea couches. Teddy was all smiles, rushing to Draco as if they were old friends, features morphing to match some of his cousin's. Teddy's new face was eerily similar to what Harry imagined a young Draco Malfoy to have looked at that age. For his part, Malfoy actually stood and offered his open arms to Teddy, smiling and pulling him into a warm embrace.

Harry stood in the doorway, absolutely dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what part of this scene shocked him more: Teddy treating Malfoy with curious familiarity, or Malfoy being affectionate.

"Ah! My dear Harry. I wasn't expecting you back so early," Andromeda admonished in the voice she usually used when Teddy was up to no good. Harry remained as still as a statue as his brain processed the scene before him. Of course Malfoy and Teddy would know each other, they were cousins after all.

The more he thought on it, the more it began to make sense. Moments mentioned in passing returned to the forefront of his mind: Malfoy reaching out to Andromeda in hopes of reconnecting with his other family, Andromeda visiting with her sister on occasion to help (with what, Harry was unsure), and so Malfoy and Teddy must have spent some time together…. Harry felt the familiar tingles of rage building in his system until his fingertips sparked with magic.

Ron and Hermione finally caught up with them, and seemed to be processing the situation a lot faster than Harry was.

Or at least, they were polite enough not to cause a scene in front of both Teddy and Andromeda. Sensing Harry's magic flaring up, Hermione went to tap Harry lightly, but Ron stopped her. He would rather be the one to take the backlash of any magical outburst Harry had, so he tucked her to his other side and casually slung an arm over Harry's shoulders, like he would have any other day.

"Sorry, Andy! We were planning to stay out longer, but Teddy insisted we come back to show you our latest acquisitions." The latter he said while wiggling his brows excitedly. Ron knew the best way to play a Harry-and-Malfoy situation, was to be both diplomatic and hilarious. Hermione was always the diplomat, so that left him with only one other role.

Teddy was oblivious to the chaos building around him, and instead had settled himself on Malfoy's lap as if it was something he did quite often, which only only served to further fuel Harry's anger.

Hermione and Ron took spots on the couch nearest to Andromeda, attempting to ease the tension by pulling her into conversation about the day. Only Harry was left standing by the door, anger and frustration leaking off of him in waves, which he found slightly odd considering the fact that he'd just saved Malfoy a few short weeks before. The more he thought about it, the stranger his anger seemed.

"What's wrong with you, Potter? Afraid I'll bite?" Malfoy teased casually, apparently also attempting to defuse the tension, however it had the opposite effect considering how little Malfoy actually knew Harry. There were strange thoughts swirling through his head, almost like the high pitched whine from a wireless.

Harry snarled and balled his fists, sparks of magic running along his skin. Malfoy shot up as well, careful to place Teddy on the ground. Everyone hushed as they watched the two former enemies face off. Teddy whipped his head back and forth between his two families with a panicked expression.

_// Why the fuck is he so tense? //_

"Oi! Keep the language PG, Malfoy!"

Everyone stared at Harry's outburst, Teddy looked close to tears.

"Mate, he didn't say anything…" Ron said cautiously, as if speaking to a wild dog. There was no telling what Harry's wild magic might do, especially without an outlet. The best thing they could do, the only thing they could do, was try to defuse him before he exploded like a time-bomb. And Malfoy was just as unpredictable as Harry, but they knew him even less. There was a strange look on his face, however, that bordered on confused.

"Did you just…read my thoughts?"

"What?! That's impossible, Malfoy!" Harry was stunned, but for as unlikely as it seemed, the concept lingered in his mind. There had been a lot of out of place thoughts in his mind lately, almost as if they had come from someone else...but the idea that they had been Malfoy's thoughts shocked and disgusted him. What if it had been going both ways? Had Malfoy also been privy to Harry's own thoughts?

_// We are fucking wizards, you tit. It's not impossible, just improbable! //_

"I heard that!" Harry took a few hard steps forward, and grasped Malfoy's collar in his clenched fists. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Malfoy's eyes glinted dangerously, but Harry only saw red.

"Let go of me, Potter. It's not polite to go around accusing people when you don't have all the facts." Malfoy spoke in a cold voice that shot right to Harry's insides. It shouldn't have been as provocative as it was and yet Harry found himself eager to push Malfoy further. What would he be like if he snapped?

"You are scaring your godson."

Looking down, Harry saw Teddy almost in tears, tiny hands grasping at each of their robes. Andromeda was attempting to extricate him from the path of disaster, but Teddy wouldn't be swayed. He looked at Harry with eyes as green as his own, as green as Lily's eyes had been, but hair as blond as any Malfoy and cheekbones to match. A funny thought entered Harry's mind, that this might be what a child of their bloodlines might create….

"Harry…?" Teddy's voice was small and timid, a sharp contrast to his usual energetic self.

Harry let go of Malfoy and dropped to one knee, pulling Teddy tight into his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to bring his anger back to zero.

"Oh Teddy… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Harry sighed and pushed Teddy away just enough to be able to look him in the eye. "You know that I would never hurt you, right?"

Teddy looked at him, eyes still filled with unshed tears and gaze flicking between his face and Malfoy's. Harry could feel Malfoy tensing above him; he'd have to tread carefully. It was clear that Malfoy had spent a decent amount of time here, or at the very least with Teddy, which meant he clearly cared for the boy in some capacity. Harry wouldn't be doing any of them any favours by attempting to sever their relationship, not matter how strangely angry he'd been about it before.

"Teddy… Malfoy wouldn't harm you either. We just…got a little mad at each other for a minute."

He could feel Malfoy tense behind him, as if surprised.

"Why do you call him that?" Teddy asked with a sniffle.

"Well…" Harry hesitated. "It's his family name."

"But why do you do that? Why don't you call him Draco?" Teddy's brows were pursed, as if this were the deepest, most concerning question in the universe.

"Well… Because…" Harry paused and looked at Ron and Hermione, who were hiding their obvious amusement behind concerned expressions. Thankfully, Hermione came to his rescue, kneeling down to Teddy's level so that she too could look him in the eye.

"We call him that because we aren't on a familiar enough basis with him to have earned the right to use his given name." It was about as honest an answer as one could expect, but Harry knew it wouldn't be enough. She'd opened a can of flobberworms, and sure enough…

"Well, why not? Didn't you all go to school together?" He looked at everyone with a wide, expectant gaze.

"Teddy, it's alright." Malfoy stepped forward and placed a hand on Teddy's blond head.

"No! I can help!" Teddy bounced on his heels excitedly, though no one really understood what exactly was happening.

"What do you mean?" Hermione pulled his attention to her.

"Well! Nan was teaching me about courtesy and manners," he spoke, placing his arms behind his back, and holding his hands there like a perfect little gentleman. Andromeda smiled proudly at her grandson. "And she says, the best way to make acquaintances is to introduce someone new to all your friends… So that they become your friends' friends as well." He looked to the side pensively, as if deliberating his choice in words.

"That's true...I suppose." Hermione nodded, encouraging Teddy to continue his train of thought.

"So…" He grabbed Malfoy's arm and tugged him down. "Draco, this is my Hermione, Ron, and my Godfather Harry." Everything these days was personal to Teddy - each individual 'belonged' to him. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, this is my Draco." He smiled at everyone, certain in his belief that he'd fixed everything. Awkward half-smiles were exchanged, but the tension remained, which seemed to remind Hermione of Harry's outburst.

"Actually, why were you so upset, Harry? Did you say something about reading thoughts?"

Harry and Draco exchanged glances, wondering if perhaps they were wrong, of if it was just a fluke. Then another thought passed through Harry's mind as clear as any of his own, but distinctly in Draco's voice.

_// I knew any encounter with Potter would be a disaster. //_

**++ Excuse me, but you could speak for yourself here. I didn't chose this. For all I know, you did this to us. ++**

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry.

_// I would think it obvious, Potter, that if I'd had anything to do with it, I wouldn't have picked you to do this with. //_

"Guys…?" Ron prompted when nothing but silence reigned.

"Sorry, we were just…"

"It seems," Draco began, cutting Harry off completely, "that Po - Harry and I are mentally connected. We aren't sure how or why, and it bears researching, but thus far I'd say there haven't been any physical or negative side effects aside from occasionally hearing or seeing thoughts."

Harry stared at Draco. What exactly had he seen? It was extremely unnerving, and worse when something else occurred to him:

"I can also feel things. Emotions, and...other stuff." Harry hesitated, recalling the surge of arousal from the other morning. Draco, of course, had no qualms about intruding and proceeded to push at Harry's thoughts.

_// What did you feel? //_ came the concerned, if a bit fearful, prod.

**++ You tell me first. ++**

_// You are…. Such a git sometimes. Fine, last night. You were angry, upset… Something about a Muggle contraption. //_

Harry wanted to throw something, but knew better than to do anything so dangerous around Teddy, let alone Andromeda's fine china.

**++ I felt… ++**

Harry found it hard to express and tried sending the feeling instead. He recalled how aroused he'd been and sent that through their link. He'd expected a more physical reaction, but Draco seemed to have complete control over his own body. The only sign he'd felt anything was the darkening of his eyes and the twitch of his clenched fist. It shouldn't have been erotic, but knowing how controlled Draco was did something quite strange to Harry.

_// I see… And what exactly did you see? //_

Harry shuddered and sent through the images of the two men he'd seen. Thinking about it again caused him to flush red, and Draco didn't miss it.

**++ You… ++**

Draco paused, but his entire demeanour shifted, as if he were fighting with several thoughts at once. He managed to close Harry off from the link, likely practiced from his days learning Occlumency with his aunt.

"Harry… I think we should head home and have a little talk." Hermione looked at him sternly and packed up her things. Teddy wasn't ready for them to leave and started to cry a little, until Andromeda offered to make him something sweet to eat.

"I should be taking my leave as well. There is much to…think about." Draco turned to grab his cloak and nodded to them. "I'll have to sign your paperwork tomorrow, Po - …Harry."

After saying their own goodbyes, the trio exited Andromeda and Teddy's home and made their way down the street. Although they weren't in a wizarding community, there was an Apparation point nearby. Hermione still took that time to chastise Harry for his behaviour, especially in front of someone so impressionable, and then admonished him for not saying something sooner about the exchange of thoughts.

"It was dangerous last time, even when you thought everything was fine."

"Yeah but, I'm not exactly worried about Malfoy trying to take over the wizarding world here."

"That doesn't mean either of you will want to give up your privacy."

Harry couldn't disagree, but he didn't really want to think about what that could mean either.

"We are going home, and you are going to tell us everything. When it started, what you felt, heard, know so far. And then we are going to invite Draco for tea and get over the fact that you used to be enemies, so that maybe he can help us find a solution."

Hermione was right of course, but it didn't mean Harry was happy about it.


	5. Chapter 5

The house was one he'd never seen before. Plain looking, and most definitely Muggle. The whole neighbourhood resembled something out of a cookie-cutter nightmare, each house as identical as the next and with hardly any land to accompany it. Draco could hardly imagine living in a house that didn't have at least two wings, let alone living _here._ But he felt himself pulled inside the house, where a family prepared for the day. A mother fussed about the dining table where a pudgy five-year-old was eating breakfast. He demanded things, and she ensured he got them. It appeared to be Christmas morning, judging by the large tree with piles and piles of gifts beneath. That seemed like far too many for the small family in the modest house.

Hearing another noise, Draco turned to see another little boy in the kitchen. The amount of presents made more sense with _two_ little children, though it was strange to see this was was so thin and frail by comparison, which was easy to see even with the loose fitting clothes tied to his body with rope and old-looking belts. And what was he doing in the kitchen?

"OUCH!" the little boy cried and leapt away from the stove, shaking his hand. He'd burned it on the pan.

The little boy turned around and revealed a familiar pair of glasses and a jagged scar. _Potter?_ Draco sighed as he realized that they must have been sharing thoughts in their sleep as well; this was happening inside Harry's head. He couldn't control the block when he was asleep, so he'd have to deal with shared dreams for the time being.

While he considered their position, the five-year-old Harry's eyes filled with tears, and Draco waited for the woman (Harry's aunt, presumably) to tend to the wound. All through Hogwarts, Harry's legend was known everywhere, and even the Muggle-borns treated him with the respect his name hadn't earned. Draco's own jealousy and spite had made an enemy where he'd intended to make a friend.

As Harry continued to cry, his aunt ignored him in favour of the larger child, smothering him with kisses and affection. It wasn't until the smell of burning food filled the air that the aunt finally hissed:

"Did you burn the bacon again? Stupid boy!" She swatted young Harry with a towel.

"I-I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia! I didn't mean to! But I hurt my hand and I-"

"I don't care for your excuses, boy! Into the cupboard with you! You just about ruined Duddy's Christmas morning! I won't have you ruining the rest of the day for him too," she all but snarled at the boy.

Certainly she wasn't serious? Why was the bigger boy's Christmas that much more important? Draco felt panic rise as Harry's feelings about going into his cupboard washed over him. Petunia opened the door under the stairs and Draco peered inside, shocked and disgusted. There was a tiny bed inside the dusty, cobweb-ridden closet. This was…where Harry slept. This was his _room_. Draco felt anger burning alongside his disgust as he watched Petunia lock Harry in the cupboard and return her attention to 'Duddy.'

When it came time for presents, Draco had expected they'd release Harry so he could join the festivities, but they didn't. 'Duddy' ripped the paper off of each and every gift, and even had the gaul to complain that there were gifts he didn't want. His parents coddled him close and made promises to return the ones he didn't want, and as an added surprise they would go and purchase several more gifts while they were out.

Just as the edges of the dream began to darken, Draco returned to the cupboard and felt his heart break as little Harry held his hand to the light from the slats in the door. The wound had somehow healed itself, and while Draco knew it to be a child's wild magic, Harry thought it had been Father Christmas or something. He thanked Santa, with tears in his eyes, extremely grateful for something so simple before falling asleep with no food in his belly.

 

_____ 

Draco woke with emotion welling painfully in his chest. What was he supposed to do with this information? Scrubbing at his eyes with the palms of his hands, Draco sighed. Was Harry still asleep? It was hard to really think of him the same way, after that little glimpse of his life. He wondered if any of it was exaggerated, as many dreams were, but Draco had the sneaking suspicion that it was more of a memory than a senseless conjuring of the mind. It explained quite a bit, especially when it came to the little things Draco had noticed about Harry, like how he was always affectionate (perhaps even overly so) with his friends, and how bird-like he was with meals.

He hated what he was going to do, but it was better that they both knew how much they were sharing, especially in their sleep.

_// Harry…? //_

**++ You saw? ++**

_// Yeah… Listen - //_

**++ Fuck off. ++**

The connection either closed off or Harry was resolutely ignoring Draco, because all Draco got was radio silence.

He wasn't going to push, but this was clearly something they were going to have to get through. Since they were now evidently bonded.

The sun hadn't quite risen yet, but he set about preparing for the day. Nothing could convince him to go back to sleep.

 

 

_____

Draco rustled the pages of the morning _Prophet_ into place. There was an interesting article on Rhubarb & Thistle's acquisition of possibly illegal potion ingredients, bringing them under Ministry investigation. The morning room was one of the few places in the Manor that Draco actually enjoyed spending his time. With its massive windows and brightly coloured wallpapers, Draco had often sequestered himself here when dealing with the aftermath of the dark magic in the Manor. It was a simple matter of psychology: if the light was bright enough, it wouldchase away all the shadows.

Draco was so invested in the article that he hadn't noticed anyone else enter the morning room, until his Mind Healer pulled out the chair beside him. Startled, Draco dropped the paper on the table and stood, reaching out a hand to shake with Healer Dana. He was a few inches shorter than Draco, and older by a few decades, and there was something about him that was so incredibly refined and handsome… But Draco knew better than to try anything; aside from the Healer having a family, there were rules about not getting involved with patients.

"Healer! I didn't hear you come in. Please sit! Can I get you some coffee or tea?"

"Perhaps a spot of tea, if it wouldn't bother?" Healer Dana asked politely.

Draco reached out and poured the man a fresh cup from the pot on the table.

"I apologise for not having been ready for you. I was caught up in this morning's _Prophet_."

"Ah yes! Did you see the article about Rhubarb & Thistle?" Dana tutted.

"I was just reading it when you arrived. How scandalous." Draco nodded.

Just as he was about to suggest moving to the salon, there was a slow shuffling sound by the door. Narcissa entered, clinging to Blaise's arm. Draco twitched and brought his attention back to the Healer.

"Now would be a good time to adjourn to the salon."

Dana flicked a glance between Draco and his mother, and her boyfriend, clearly picking up on the tension that Narcissa did not. Or perhaps she did but was ignoring it favour of settling herself at the table. She was impeccably dressed, not even a hair out of place, as if she was always ready for guests. Blaise tucked in her chair and set about making a plate for her. She smiled politely as she placed a napkin on her lap.

"Good morning, Healer. I wasn't aware we were expecting guests." She looked pointedly at Draco, who sneered at the sight of Blaise pampering her.

"I wasn't expecting you to sleep with my best friend, yet here we are."

Narcissa gasped and stood quickly, throwing her napkin on the table. "Draco!" she admonished. Blaise made a rather inhuman noise, not unlike a growl or snarl, before seeming to regain control. He pushed the plate closer to Narcissa, encouraging her to eat.

"Let him be. I'm sure his Mind Healer will have some words for him when they are in private." Blaise looked pointedly at the two of them, allowing the full force of his disappointment to show on his face.

Dana blinked at the scene, but otherwise gave no other reaction aside from standing.

"Perhaps we shall adjourn after-all, Draco."

They both broke away from the table and made their way to the salon. It was their normal meeting room, and had Draco been a bit more attentive, he would have been there waiting already, and missed his mother's entrance entirely.

 

_____

"Well, I'd certainly say that is progress. At least for today… I'd rather not delve too deep at the moment, as I'm sure I've left you with plenty to think about." Dana closed his journal and crossed one leg over the other. His chair was solid but plush, and Draco knew from experience it gave that wonderful feeling of being enveloped.

Draco had taken a lying position across the navy blue chaise positioned by the bay doors, its windows allowing plenty of sunlight through. He'd carefully curated the plants to grow around the door frames, a suggestion given to him by Neville Longbottom. They weren't exactly friends, however Longbottom had been on the team that helped restore the Manor, and had done fantastic work with the magic in the very earth that surrounded the Manor. Things had stopped growing for a while, but Longbottom had managed to extract the darkness that had seeped into the very roots of the plants. Now, things flourished.

Longbottom had made some clever suggestions for additions to the room that included lush vegetation, in order to have (as he describes it) some natural air purifiers. While Draco wasn't fully convinced of their properties, Longbottom had been lauded for his abilities with plants, so he clearly knew a thing or two.

"I'm surprised. You usually don't let me go so easily," Draco murmured scathingly, eyes still trained on the window. There was no way he could talk about half as much as he usually could if he allowed himself to actually look at the Healer.

"Well, I think there is quite a lot on your mind today. And as much as I'd like to help unpack that - you had asked me to focus on your war trauma."

Draco shuddered. He hated hearing the word _trauma._ "It's not trauma, Healer. People have been through far worse than me."

The Healer paused. Draco had convinced himself that his experiences shouldn't be considered trauma, and Dana had told him more than once that it was all due to Draco's belief that being on the wrong side of the war meant he deserved everything you got.

"I know you still don't believe it, but I'll say it as many times as it takes to sink in. Just because you think other people had worse experiences, doesn't diminish what you went through. You can't look at two people who've been attacked and say that the one who suffered less damage didn't also experience trauma. Their experiences are irrelevant in this case; what's important is their ability to move past what they've gone through."

Draco didn't answer, but didn't dismiss the thought either. The Healer had a point, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Draco wondered how much he should disclose. Technically Dana was legally obligated to keep his file confidential, but if Draco decided to bring up Harry, that umbrella might not cover the Saviour's confidentiality.

"Sort of... I can't exactly give you much detail, but you might be able to give me some insight."

"By all means, I don't have anyone booked after you, so we are not restricted by time."

Draco nodded and pressed the tips of his fingers together, then brought the twin index fingers to his lips.

"I have this…acquaintance. I've known him since our days at Hogwarts, but we weren't what you'd call friends." Draco hummed, trying to word carefully around his question. "Well, all our lives I'd always had these assumptions about him, because I thought I knew his family."

Healer Dana nodded, no doubt knowing how it was between pure-blood families.

"But it turns out, he… Well, let's just say he led a very different life than what I thought."

"We all make assumptions about people we don't know. It's just human nature."

"No, I get that. That's not the issue." Draco paused again and closed his eyes. "You see, I find myself rather…unnerved with the new knowledge. And now, we're in a situation where we have to maintain contact - Ministry stuff - " Draco waved his hand dismissively. "And I'm concerned that knowing what I know now, it might affect our… working relationship."

Dana stood and paced slowly from one end of the room to the other, with hands pulled behind his back. He often did this as a way to think.

"Is he aware that you have this new knowledge of his background?"

"Yes. He's about as happy knowing I know, as I am knowing."

"I understand. Hmm...well, it's going to be a challenge to ignore. But that doesn't mean you have to bring it up outright. I would suggest you allow it to affect you however it does. Pursue that feeling. If it's gotten you this far, seeking advice on how to deal with the situation, then I'd say it's gripped you far deeper than you might realize. Let this acquaintance come to you when they are ready. He may not have dealt with it properly over the years, especially if he's not had access to a Mind Healer."

Draco doubted that Harry would have gone so far as seeing a professional to talk about his feelings. He was far too stubborn and determined to deal with absolutely everything on his own. But Healer Dana had a point… In the years that Draco had been in the man's company, talking about anything and everything, this was the first occasion that Draco had actively sought his advice on a personal issue. Perhaps they were making progress after all.

 

_____ 

It was a few days before Harry thought of Draco again. They'd managed some semblance of peace, their mental walls seemed to be solidly in place as no stray thoughts or feelings managed to break through. But the effort it took to hold the mental block was taking a physical toll on Harry, and he assumed it would be doing the same to Draco. It was clear they needed to figure out what had happened and how to undo it.

Hermione hadn't brought it up again, but Harry should have known she wouldn't have let the subject drop so simply.

The trio, along with Teddy and Andromeda, had settled in at Andy's flat for the afternoon, just munching on some snacks. Teddy was wound up on sugar and Ron took him outside to fly around on Harry's old Firebolt.

So when Hermione pulled out a rather large, old looking book, Harry knew he was in for it.

"I did some researching…" Hermione started. Harry burst out laughing and almost choked on his tea.

"Why am I not surprised."

Hermione rolled her eyes but carried on.

"Based on what you've told me, it seems like your symptoms only started showing up after your encounter with Malfoy. Are you certain you can't tell us more than that?"

Harry shook his head. "I'd have to get his clearance on it. Kingsley's, too."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, and Harry had the distinct feeling that he was being analysed.

"I see. Well, if you think back to that…situation… Is there anything you can recall that was out of the norm? Perhaps something you said, that might have accidentally invoked a curse or charm?"

Harry replayed everything he remembered from that day in his mind. He'd done this a few times, to analyze what trap he'd set off and if he could have changed it sooner. There was something at the end that made him pause…

"Huh…" Harry huffed quietly.

"What is it, Harry?"

"Well… It could be nothing. I'd have to actually talk to Malfoy about it to be sure, but I think we…touched something? At the same time?"

Hermione blinked.

"Harry, that's extremely vague. Maybe we should see if Malfoy is free, so we can try to get a few more details out of him."

Andromeda, sitting quietly on the couch, nodded in agreement. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't enthused by the idea of being in the same room as Draco again, but Hermione was right. Andromeda took the lead.

"I'll see if he's free. Please excuse me." Andromeda stood, lifting her robes and making her way to the fireplace in the other room, allowing for a bit more privacy during the call.

In the meantime, Hermione flipped through her book in hopes of coming up with something.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy to find an answer, 'Mione." She didn't respond, still immersed in the pages she was trying to absorb, tongue stuck thoughtfully between her teeth. "It's almost never that easy for us."

By the time Draco came tumbling through the Floo, Ron and Teddy had returned for more snacks as the light from outside began to fade in the sky.

_"Draco!"_ Teddy squealed in delight.

"Well hello, little one." Draco smiled fondly, patting Teddy on the shoulder. He shifted the bag from his shoulder to the ground, reaching inside. There must have been an undetectable extension charm in place, as Draco's hand reached all the way down passed the floor. He pulled out at least three massive texts that were guaranteed to be the most boring of reads. Harry's suspicions were confirmed when Hermione nearly bounced off the couch and over to the table where the books now lay.

"I cannot believe you have these! They're so _rare!_ " Hermione squealed with excitement.

Draco seemed uncertain of how to respond, but Harry knew they would have to put the past behind them eventually.

"They are… I suppose they're heirlooms in a way. I believe that this one is the last copy in existence."

He pointed to a particularly dusty tome, which Hermione subsequently gushed over.  
Harry rolled his eyes and attempted to tune them out.

Instead he watched as Teddy _whooshed_ around the room, showing Andromeda the moves he and Ron had used outside, until he noticed Hermione and Draco actually conversing. His little eyes filled with glee and he ran over.

He gripped at both Hermione's and Draco's arms and tugged to get their attention.

"Are you friends now?!" Teddy asked excitedly.

Draco and Hermione paused in their discussion and looked at each other with uncertain expressions. Teddy wasn't taking no for an answer, however, and pressed harder.

"You HAVE to be! You both are soooo smart, and you both like reading! Look! You both like really big books!"

**++ That's not the only really big thing Hermione likes. ++** Harry thought.

Draco choked and slammed a fist on the table, causing everyone to look at him with some concern. He waved them off while coughing. "Fine. I'm fine," he wheezed.

_// Potter, that was horrifying. I do not need to know the kinky shit Granger is into. //_

Harry snorted and shook his head, until he realized that everyone noticed his and Draco's strange reactions.

"Are you sharing thoughts again?" Hermione pursed her lips.

"Not on purpose, I can assure you." Draco looked a little green, and decidedly looked away from her.

"Has it happened often? I mean aside from the last time we were all together? That might help us narrow our search you know."

"As far as I'm aware, we've only shared thoughts once since that day." Draco looked in thought. "We've been fairly good at keeping up mental blockades, but a few stray thoughts may pass through. So I'd say distance is not a factor," he responded to Hermione's unasked question.

"Are they about similar things? Have you noticed any trends that might trigger the thought-sharing?" Draco shook his head, but then looked at Harry.

"No trends," Harry replied. His friends knew about his living arrangements during his childhood, but perhaps not to the extent that Draco had seen. He shared this note with Draco in hopes of getting him to keep his mouth shut.

**++ They know some of it. Not all of it. ++**

Draco made no physical sign of acknowledgement aside from looking directly at him and blinking once.

"I have a few more books back at the Manor. Why don't we set up a time to meet again next weekend, and peruse some of our options?"

They all agreed to meet again, before saying their goodbyes and heading to their respective homes. And just as he arrived at Grimmauld, Harry felt a strange surge of anger bubbling up inside of him.

**++ Was that you? ++**

_// …I assume you are feeling my… emotions right now? //_

Harry felt another wave of anger, making him want to grab something and smash it against a wall.

**++ What's going on? ++**

_// Nothing. //_

**++ You really expect me to believe that? ++**

_// No. But if we aren't discussing your thoughts, then you can be damned sure we won't be discussing mine. //_

And just like that, Harry felt the wall going up and cutting off their thoughts. Strange how quiet his house seemed in the absence of someone to talk to.


	6. Chapter 6

It took three weeks, give or take, before Harry and Draco reached a sort of mental truce. It had gotten far too exhausting to keep up the mental blocks, but they'd agreed not to share any information collected through shared thoughts. In that time, they'd made no headway in terms of research, even after reading through most of the books Hermione had compiled. Draco had brought over a few more books from the Manor as well, but they all felt bad for swamping Andromeda's little townhouse with massive texts. Teddy was ecstatic that so many people were visiting him on a regular basis, and that his family had become friends with each other. (Though they would use the term friend a little more loosely than he did.)

In that time, Harry and Draco had actually begun to reach out to each other, pulling one or the other into a mental conversation. Harry had proved to Draco just how funny he could be: between all the snarky mental comments to his friends, the Black family house-elf being a grouch, or just anything that came to mind like the _Daily Prophet_.

**++ Oi! Have you read today's _Prophet_? ++**

_// Not yet. Why? //_

**++ Well apparently, in this week's scandal, I've divorced Ginny for a 19-year-old model, and we've run off together to a resort on the coast of France. ++**

_// I thought you were gay? //_

**++ I very much am. But of course the _Prophet_ was convinced that she and I were a destined romance. Destined to fail is more like. ++**

_// So then what's so scandalous about this? //_

**++ Nothing really, but it's the first time the _Prophet_ actually came marginally close to the truth. Apparently I left her for a 19-year-old _male_ model. ++**

_// Oooo so scandalous… //_ came Draco's snarky reply.

**++ Yeah well, you can suck it. At least I pulled a 19-year-old-hottie. ++**

_// I'm sorry, I thought we were debating the scandalousness of this article. Not how attractive the model you 'pulled' was? //_

Harry could hear the quotations in his head.

**++ You're just jealous. ++** was Harry's smug reply.

_// I'd be jealous if that were actually true. //_

Harry paused. Did Draco intend to share that? Was he admitting to some sort of….feelings?

_// And before you read too much into that, I was joking. Christ, you'd think you'd never heard a joke before. //_

Harry recovered.

**++ Psh, I had to look at your face for seven years, didn't I? ++**

What surprised Harry the most was actually hearing Draco laugh in his head. Odd, but pleasant.

Harry had also learned a lot more about Draco, including his current mental health and visits with his Mind Healer. He felt like there was something else Draco wanted to talk about, but Harry didn't want to push for more details, knowing exactly how it felt for people to demand everything and leaving no privacy behind.

In fact, Harry found himself thinking about Draco with a new perspective after one particular nightmare where Draco recalled certain things about the war. It was painful to watch Bellatrix use everything she learned from his mind against him, all in order to teach him Occlumency. It only took a few sessions but he mastered it pretty quick. She never said anything to his family, nor to Voldemort, about his feelings or that one scene between him and Blaise that she saw. It was so out of character of her and made Harry wonder if maybe she retained a bit of her humanity for her family...?

_// No. It wasn't like that. //_

Draco's exhaustion floated through their connection. Harry could almost picture him sitting up in bed, just trying to push away the last vestiges of his nightmare.

**++ What do you mean? ++**

Harry hesitated. He was awake now, unsettled and in need of a good cup of tea, but awake.

_// Keeping that to herself, it wasn't because she cared about me. //_

**++ Oh… ++**

He wanted to know more, strangely intrigued by any tendril of information Draco deemed important enough to share.

_// She saw… Well, she saw Blaise and I during a rather…intimate moment. //_

Harry was curious about what she'd seen, as picturing Blaise and Draco together did rather strange things to his nether regions. Physically, they were quite the compatible pair…

_// But she also saw his rejection and his disinterest for something more. She felt it was far more advantageous to force me to live with the knowledge that she knew, and that she could share at any time. If I so much as misbehaved… //_

**++ She'd spill… ++**

_// Yeah… //_

Harry didn't know what to say.

**++ Draco…? ++**

_// Mm? //_

**++ It's been a few weeks and we still don't have any answers. ++**

_// I know… //_

**++ Listen… I think, since we might be stuck like this for a little while longer at least, it might be worth just…attempting friendship? Or something like that anyways? ++**

Harry's nerves were showing, which was ironic considering who had turned down whom in first year. Harry could hear something like a breathy chuckle making its way through their connection, which Harry felt all the way down his spine.

_// Fine. We can…try. I don't know how well it'll work though. //_

**++ Psh. Just think of it as yet another competition against me. You always do sooo well with those. ++**

_____

When they were at Andromeda's, spending hours pouring over texts, their thoughts often intermingled. They could have entire conversations without ever opening their mouths. While Hermione and Ron assumed they were deeply engrossed in whatever they were reading, they were actually trading stories from their respective dorms and challenging each other for a better story than the one they just told.

Draco told Harry about Theodore Nott exposing himself to the entire common room on a dare. Harry laughed, claiming that most of the boys in Gryffindor didn't even need a dare to do that. Then Harry revealed the time they caught Seamus wearing a pair of frilly pants, clearly meant for ladies, and yet somehow totally managed to pull them off.

**++ That was when I started questioning my sexuality. ++**

_// Oh sure. It definitely wasn't anytime you saw my arse in those Hogwarts trousers. //_

Harry snorted out loud, causing everyone to look up and at him.

"Are you…communicating again?" Hermione asked uneasily.

"Yeah? What of it?" Harry asked defensively.

"Well… I don't know, Harry." She sighed and tossed aside the book she'd been holding. "I just wonder if giving into whatever this is might be making it worse? What if communicating like that only makes it harder to undo?"

While she probably had a good point in there, Harry was tired and unwilling to budge. He and Draco were finally headed towards something like friendship. And for the first time in a long time, it was nice to have someone actually there for him. Even if they didn't always want to talk about everything, it was nice to know someone was on the other end listening.

Thankfully, the conversation was interrupted by a stomach rumbling loudly.

"Sorry…" Ron raised his hand sheepishly. "Didn't realize what time it was. We should be heading to Mum's, or else she's gonna have a fit."

Hermione cast a quick _Tempus_ , then squeaked.

"Oh no! Oh no no _no!_ I didn't realize it was so late! Oh she'll have our heads! Harry, get those books together!" Hermione ran about, collecting her books madly. Harry joined her, while sending an embarrassed apology to Draco.

**++ Sorry. I totally forgot we're expected at dinner tonight. Molly tries to get everyone together whenever she can. I think she hates feeling like the nest is empty. ++**

Draco nodded and helped to put things away, but had a look on his face as if he were slightly disappointed. Harry had been having fun as well, and almost didn't want it to end either. A thought occurred to him then, and he wondered if he ought to mention it to the others first, but decided against it as he knew they would likely prevent him from what he was about to do. Thankfully Ron and Hermione made their apologies to Andromeda and scurried through the Floo, telling Harry they'd let Molly know he was on his way.

**++ Listen, I know this is probably the last thing you are expecting, and I won't blame you for rejecting, but… Did you want to come with us to dinner? ++** Harry's head tilted in question. How easy it was for him to use their mind-link instead of actual words… Maybe Hermione had a point there.

_// I…. I don't know if I should. //_

Harry heard the obvious hesitation, but underneath there seemed to be a current of curiosity and genuine interest.

**++ Molly makes one heck of a meal. And she always has treacle tarts just for me. ++** Harry grinned.

_// I suppose it's a…tantalising offer. //_

**++ Besides,++** Harry gathered the last of his things and turned his gaze back to Draco, a coy smile on his lips.

**++ It'll be fun to have someone there who can keep me entertained. ++**

_// Oh? //_ Draco shot him a curious glance, amused smirk touching the edges of his lips.

**++ Most of the family is paired up now, all they talk about is: weddings, children, and other crap that I have no interest in right now. ++**

_// Sounds absolutely horrid. //_ Draco knew exactly how that felt - after all each discussion with his Mother always ended with forcing him to attend another gala hosted by yet another prominent family with a single female heir.

**++ I guarantee you won't find a worse time around. ++**

_// Is that a bet, Potter? //_

Harry's stomach did a weird jig when Draco's sleek blond eyebrow rose again in that distinctly competitive expression, coupled with a grin - one that Harry had never before had the honour of receiving. In fact, the look was downright…flirtatious? Impossible, and yet undeniable…

Instead of replying, Harry gave Draco his most coy expression, before tossing a handful of powder in the fireplace and stepping in. He offered his clean hand out to Draco, who waited exactly one beat before taking it and stepping in as well. The last thing Harry thought before they vanished in flames, was how strangely good Draco's hand felt in his…

_____

"I SWEAR, RONALD, IF I HADN'T BIRTHED YOU - "

"Honest, Mum, we were just busy until - "

" - SEND AN OWL OR A PATRONUS AT THE LEAST. YOU'RE QUITE CAPABLE OF SENDING THOSE!"

Molly's shouting and Ron's apologies rang out from the kitchen. Harry and Draco tumbled out of the Floo to see Hermione cringing towards them.

"You might want to wait 'til she's done this rant before giving her another surprise." She gestured towards Draco, completely unfazed by his appearance at dinner. She gave Harry a knowing glance, then turned back to peek towards the kitchen. When the worst of the yelling was past, Hermione put on her best smile amped up to twenty, which had the effect of making her look a little manic.

"Dear, are you quite alright?" Molly asked, entering the room with Ron trailing sheepishly behind. "Do you need a cup of tea?" Molly placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder comfortingly.

Harry coughed to pull attention his way. "I'm sorry to do this, Molly, I've brought a guest with me."

As Draco stepped out from behind Harry and offered his hand, the tension rose. Molly blinked, clearly shocked, but it only took a moment before she recovered and waved the hand away, pulling Draco into a tight, warm hug. Draco stood there with the most hesitant and awkward expression on his face. Harry turned to look at Ron, whose face was almost purple, tears leaking out from the corners of his eyes as he choked out an apology and excused himself to the other room. Moments later they could hear howls of laughter coming from outside. Hermione kept it together a little better, as she bit down on her lip stubborn. Draco's neck, all the way up to the tips of his ears, burned with embarrassment.

_// Potter! What the hell is happening? What am I supposed to do? //_

**++ Maybe, I don't know, hug her back? ++**

Harry's laughter rang through their connection. He could feel every ounce of Draco's tension, and it was hilarious.

It was made worse when Draco wrapped one arm around Molly, using the other one to slowly pat her on the arm. Hermione, who'd been quivering with silent laughter, completely lost it then and joined her boyfriend on the floor, both of them laughing so hard it rang through the house.

Draco's panicked expression locked onto Harry, mental pleas for help shouting through their connection. Molly pulled away and squeezed Draco's arm, concern written on her face.

"Oh! Goodness, the feel of you! You're all bones, dear! Quick, let's get you a plate of something before you waste away in front of me!" Molly whisked the panicked Draco away into the kitchen, where Harry knew she was making a plate of sweets and other baked goods for him. He knew because that's what she'd always done for him too.

_// POTTER! //_

Harry jumped.

**++ Yes, my liege? ++**

_// I - what? Never mind. Explain to me what is happening right now? //_

**++ I expect Molly is filling a plate full for you to eat. ++**

_// Oh… I see. But why?! //_

**++ Because she thinks you are a poor starving child that she needs to take care of. Though I think she knows you aren't starving, unlike some people. ++**

Harry had only meant to insinuate that he and Ron were ready for supper, but Draco's mind had already gone back to the shared dream about Harry's childhood. It was clear he'd tried to grab the thought back as soon as he'd thought it but that wasn't how the mind worked. But Harry couldn't begrudge him, seeing as he hadn't really shared or offered any explanations. Now that he thought about it, Harry realized he hadn't been fair at all. Draco had shared details of his own dreams, after all.

**++ Yeah, she knows about it. I mean obviously. She made life a little easier to bear sometimes. ++**

_// Let's not talk about it right now. If you still want to talk, we can tonight… For now, I'm apparently helping with potatoes...? And I need every ounce of concentration for this. //_

Harry laughed out loud, pulling his friends' attention to him. They'd moved to the couch, where they'd been cuddled up. Harry withheld a gag, settling in the couch across from them.

"Actually, Harry, I just remembered. Shacklebolt wanted me to see if you'd send him an owl soon? Give him an idea on how you're doing?"

"You mean, tell him when I think I'll be back?" Harry's face reflected his annoyance.

"It's not like he's got an idea of what's going on. Just that you've been acting strange. He's worried."

Well that, and Harry knew he hadn't gone into detail yet about the injuries he might have sustained. Call it paranoia, but Harry wasn't willing to put a lot of detail into his reports these days; he wasn't sure how many hands they would be passed through. But he owed Kingsley a visit if he could, if only to give finer detail as to his predicament.

"Right... I'll send him a note or something when I get home," Harry agreed, then turned his attention back to the kitchen. He heard no screams or loud noises, but an Auror also knew to be wise about silence as well.

After a few moments, Draco's form came into view through the doorway. Just the back of him (which was just as nice to look at as the front). Harry's face flushed as he realized Draco must have heard that thought, but the blond made no reaction.

**++ How's it all going in there? ++**

_// She's teaching me how to properly prepare stew?! //_

Even if he tried, Harry couldn't help the soft smile and fond feelings. Almost as if they were being pulled out of him against his will, and yet Harry couldn't find it within himself to be upset about it.

**++ And did she give you the family recipe for treacle tart yet? ++**

_// No. Was she supposed to? //_

**++ No, but I was hoping she would and then you could give it to me. ++**

Draco's laugh actually filtered through the kitchen, loud enough for it to reach the trio's ears. It was then Harry realized, with a huge grin, how well and truly fucked he was.


	7. Chapter 7

 

_Kingsley,_  
_Sorry to have made you wait so long. ~~There was~~_  
~~_I needed to make sure_~~  
~~_There's something wrong_~~  
_I am free for most of the next few days. What I'd like to discuss requires more privacy_  
_than an owl can provide._  
_Awaiting your reply,_  
_HP_

Harry's dinners at the Burrow were typically an experience, but it had been even more so with Draco there tonight. Maybe there was something in the air, or just the idea that both Molly and Draco were on their best behaviours… Harry couldn't help but feel proud and honoured. If nothing else, they were trying for him, and that meant the world. Though Harry did find it a bit strange that Draco's opinion suddenly meant something to him. For the second time that day, Harry allowed himself to revel in the feeling rather than let it bother him.

His nighttime regimen at Grimmauld Place hadn't changed much in the last few years; Harry felt comforted by the monotonous routine. He settled at the bathroom sink to brush his teeth and run a brush through his thick, messy hair, before finally taking a look at his beard. It had grown in thick and even, with the exception of the a scar that cut into the moustache above his lip. But his beard was well groomed and maintained so no one could call him dishevelled.

Harry wandless and wordlessly charmed the shower on. He settled under the hot spray in hopes of washing away his pent up energy. All through the evening, things had taken a strange, but not unwelcome turn with Draco. It was almost as if they'd spent the entire evening...flirting? Harry was certain that he'd gotten that wrong; he could be oblivious sometimes.

But there was something in the way Draco posed his body in different ways. Casually leaning his elbows onto the kitchen counter as Molly showed him how to prepare different vegetables, his lower half bent to show off his taut arse. Harry gulped, feeling for the second time this month his body stirring with avid interest. Strange how, after a lifetime of dismissing any passing interest in sex, it was Draco Malfoy who managed to pull his attention in that direction? There was something electric in the way Draco looked at him, like they were two ends of the same string, being woven together inevitably in the fabric of fate.

Harry sighed and placed a hand on the wall of the shower, letting the water cascade over his head, down his back. He scrubbed a hand through his beard and suddenly felt something tugging on his mind.

_// Liked my arse, did you? //_

Harry laughed; he could _hear_ the smugness in Draco's tone.

**++ I can neither confirm nor deny. ++**

_// Oh, I think you can very much confirm. Let's not forget who kept biting his damned lip all night. //_

Harry felt a sudden surge through his system - it was unfamiliar and therefore clearly Draco.

**++ Oh. ++** He floundered. It was a very warm feeling, and yet so completely arousing at the same time. Like a million butterflies just caressed his skin.

But that wasn't all. Draco sent through an image of Harry from earlier, only it was from Draco's eyes. They watched as Harry tried hard not to stare at Draco's arse, only to swipe his tongue across his lower lip and pull it between his teeth. It shouldn't have been sensual - a nervous tick really - and yet through Draco's eyes, it was _arousing_.

_// Yeah… 'Oh.'//_

There was a pause, as if they were both hesitating about crossing the next line. But they both knew it had already been crossed.

_// Why do I feel like I'm in a sauna right now? //_

Harry chuckled and sent through a mental image of his shower. Draco's thoughts scrambled for a minute before going blank.

**++ Did you just…put the wall up again?? ++** And here Harry thought they were making progress.

_// No. Not on purpose anyways. //_

**++ Oh. That's good, I guess. I dunno. It just went blank there for a second, so I thought… ++**

_// Potter… I cannot believe you are that obtuse. My brain stopped functioning for a second when I realized you were in the shower. //_

**++ Oi! No need to be mean. Besides, I'm human, I have to get clean sometime. ++**

Oblivious as Harry had been in the past, right now he knew exactly what he was doing. Being cheeky was his go-to flirtation device, and one he imagined would work well with Draco.

_// Oh I'm sure you do, git. //_ A sound like a frustrated sigh passed between their thoughts, though Harry was certain it came from Draco.

**++ You sound a little…frustrated there. ++**

Harry couldn't help smirking to himself, even if no one else could see.

_// Look, if you aren't going to help, then sod off. //_

Harry raised his brows at the tone.

**++ I might be tempted to help, but if you're going to be salty then I'll just take care of my own business then. ++**

Once again, Draco's thoughts were a swirling cloud, not sticking to any one thing in particular, and moving far too fast for Harry to keep up.

_// Let me make one thing clear, Potter. I do not take orders. I give them. If you choose to…further this, you need to accept that. Clear? //_

Harry paused. On the one hand, he hated the idea of anyone having any kind of power over him, on the other… The thought of Draco telling him what to do, when to do it, and how… Harry shuddered.

_// I felt that. //_

**++ Yes. ++**

_// What? //_

**++ Yes, that's clear. Fuck that's so clear, just… Tell me what you want. ++**

Something like lust shot through their connection, and Harry couldn't tell if it was his own or Draco's. He understood the dangers Hermione had mentioned, but just the idea that Draco was about to tell him what to do…

_// Merlin, Potter. I can feel just how into it you are… //_

**++ So tell me then… Tell me what to do… ++**

Harry looked down and lifted a hand to his chest, rubbing small hesitant circles. This was all so new, so completely unfamiliar to him; most sexual situations were new. That he'd rely on Draco for instruction was less about submission and more out of cluelessness.

_// Start by running your hands down your chest, stomach, and down the front of your thighs. I don't want you touching anything aside from what I tell you. Is that clear? //_

Harry nodded and began to follow the instruction, running the flats of his palms down over his abs until Draco interrupted once more.

_// Is. That. Clear? //_

Draco's voice came through then, filled with something wild and yet in complete control. Harry wanted more.

**++ Yes. ++**

Draco seemed to hesitate.

_// Potter… Have you never done anything like this before? //_

**++ Can't say that I have. ++**

_// I'll make it simple for you tonight. Just be a taste, but who knows, maybe it'll widen your innocent eyes a little. The response I expect when you answer me is: Yes, Sir. //_

**++ Yes, Sir? ++**

Harry hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but it felt strange calling him Sir. Almost as if he were a Professor, or someone who actually held any kind of actual power over him. Some of that thought must have slipped through their connection, because Draco responded.

_// In a way you are correct. By calling me 'Sir', as strange as it may sound, you're surrendering control to me, and using a title that refers to the change of power. //_

**++ Even though we both know that's not actually the case? ++**

_// Potter, the whole point is that in_ that _world, the submissive (in this case, you) technically holds all the power, even though we are creating the illusion that I am the one with the power. It's your choice to give in. It's your limits that we push, though I have my own as well. And finally, you are the one who can end it at anytime. You just say the word and it's done. //_

It was a lot of information to take in at once, and Harry still had a million and a half questions, but for tonight it was enough. For this, it was enough.

**++ Yes, Sir. ++**

It was as clear a signal of consent as he could give with his brain still focused between his legs.

_// Fuck, Potter… I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to hear you say those words out loud. I've been hard since you said 'My Liege' earlier. You had no idea then, what those words could do to me… //_

Harry groaned and closed his eyes, feeling the roughness of his calloused hands travel across his scarred body. And for a moment, he could pretend that they weren't his own, they were Draco's. Touching and teasing…

_// That's it, Potter. Keep going lower, just over your hips then down the front of your thighs. //_

Harry shivered, letting his hands do as Draco commanded. His body ignited with a warmth he'd only tasted once before. His hands paused over his thighs, and in a voice filled with inspired awe, he prompted for more.

**++ More? ++**

_// Well, aren't you eager? You've been good so far, so I suppose you deserve a reward. Would you like to see what the thought of you in that shower is doing to me? //_

**++ G-gods, yes please… Sir. ++**

_// Oh, good boy, Potter… Remembering your manners. //_ Draco sounded equally breathless, and he shared the image of being sprawled on his bed, hard cock in hand. _// I've thought of you often, but this…this is beyond anything I could have imagined. This…is better than fantasy. //_

Harry watched as Draco's lengthy fingers gave a few hard strokes, holding just beneath the head, and then allowing a drip of pearly fluid to leak down his hand. Harry groaned and looked down at his own body, where his own length of cock was eagerly twitching for attention.

**++ Can I touch it now? ++** Harry asked with a strange new sense of urgency.

_// No. I will tell you when you can. Instead I want you to bring your hands back up, and as you do, dig your nails in a little. //_

Harry hissed as he complied, his head tilting to the side. Everything seemed heightened to a whole new degree; he could even feel Draco's pleasure through their connection...which meant Draco could feel his, and that thought was enough to pull a gasp from him.

_// Hmmph Such a good boy, Potter. Go ahead and touch yourself. //_

**++ Oh God, yes Sir. Thank you. ++**

_// Fuck, you are such a natural. How has no one snapped you up yet? //_

Draco's voice was filled with want, and Harry could see Draco's strokes quicken under his strong grip. With teasing fingertips, Harry explored his own body with a new and exciting curiosity, almost as if he were seeing himself for the first time through Draco's eyes.

As he took himself in hand, Harry grunted and gave a tentative stroke. The velvety skin folded over the head, generating a secondary sensation that made Harry shiver.

_// That's it, Potter, just like that. Nice and slow for me. Fuck I wish I could touch you right now. //_

Harry grinned shyly, one hand reaching up to pinch at his nipples, the other still giving slow languid strokes to his now completely swollen prick.

**++ Oh? And what would you do with me then? ++** Harry teased, knowing he could. Knowing it would rile Draco up.

_// Fuck, Potter… What wouldn't I do? I've been thinking about you like this for far longer than I'd like to admit. //_

Harry blinked in surprise, curious just how long that might have been.

_// Oh, I'll take that secret to the grave. //_ Draco's chuckle sounded so seductive it was almost painful.

_// I would start by taking my time, learning every inch of you. I'd have to tie you down of course, because you are such a rule-breaker, I already know you wouldn't be able to keep still. //_

Harry had to admit Draco had a point there. And besides, being tied down didn't sound all that bad.

_// After I've touched every inch of you with my hands, learned all your sensitive spots, I'd re-trace every inch of you with my lips… and with my tongue. Fuck, Harry - I would kiss and suck on every inch of you my greedy mouth could reach. //_

Harry moaned. Flashes of thought filled his mind as Draco pictured exactly what he'd described. Harry bucked into his hand as the vivid imagery filled his mind.

**++ Oh, Fuck. Yes. Yes I want that too. God I want that too. ++**

_// I wouldn't tie you up every time either. I want to feel that fucking beard all over me. //_

Draco made a sound not unlike a growl, and it hit Harry deep inside his gut. He made a choking sound in response, and wanted so desperately to hear that sound again.

**++ Please - ++** Harry whined, hand still moving at a pace that was more like agony now. **++ Draco, please, I need to go faster… ++**

_// Do it. //_ Draco's voice was completely breathless, and remained consistently in his mind now. The closer they got the the edge, the wider the connection became, until it was hard to tell where their consciousnesses were supposed to separate. Not that either cared anymore. Their bodies were pure lust and energy, each racing to the edge where pleasure and thought melded.

Harry's desperation was palpable, pleading for release without words, and Draco wasn't far behind. They could see and feel themselves as well as each other, which only heightened the pleasure.

**++ Gonna - Draco, please! ++**

_// Yes! Come for me! //_

Harry felt it start somewhere deep in his core, building and building until it poured out of him in hot jets over his slowing fist. And just when he started to come down, Draco's orgasm hit him, forcing a second wave of pleasure to wrack through him.

**++ Oh, fuck, too much. Fuck, Draco, that's - ++**

Harry's body shook with the force of it and his body dropped. His knees hit the hard tile of his shower with a CRACK. The heat from the water, and the pounding jets made great work on his back. But instead it only added to the misery of the moment, by spraying chaotically in his face, forcing Harry to sputter and choke while trying to regain traction again the tile. Totally. Not. Sexy.

"FUCK! OW!"

**++ FUCK! OW! ++**

_// What happened? Are you okay? //_

Though he sounded slightly more recovered than Harry did, Draco's voice was wrecked. Harry's cock gave a half-hearted throb of interest but there was no way he was ready to go again anytime soon.

**++ Yeah, just fell in the shower. ++**

Harry could hear Draco laughing at him, but it was almost tender, rather than filled with its usual malice.

_// At least you're already in the shower. Makes cleaning up a bit easier. //_

Harry snorted.

**++ I'm sorry, but did you forget you are a wizard? I'm pretty sure there's a spell for that. ++**

Draco's laugh was new to Harry, but so wonderful, raising the hairs on Harry's arms every time he heard it.

_// Speccy git. Not all of us have resumed regular brain activity, thank you. //_

**++ Oh I can assure you I am not functioning right now. Between destroying me knees and, well…that… I mean - ++**

_// That?! Don't get prudish on me now, Potter. //_

**++ Excuse me, but not all of us have slept with the entirety of the Slytherin dorms. ++**

Harry had meant it to be teasing, but there was an edge to it. There was a distinct pause before Draco spoke again, and when he did, it was icy

_// Is… Is that what they say about me? I'm certain it's not the only thing, but I guess I hadn't realized my sexual activities were up for discussion too. //_

Harry pulled himself to his feet, rinsing himself off once more, before shutting off the shower. He took a second before he replied carefully.

**++ I didn't mean it. I was just trying to tease… I don't know what people say about you. I pay as much attention to that as I do about what they say about me. ++**

Harry chuckled and wrapped a towel around himself, but his expression fell when Draco didn't respond.

**++ Draco? ++**

Silence. Wasn't that just great? Just when they'd made a little bit of progress.

Harry finished drying himself off then grabbed a pair of light joggers out of his dresser, letting his mind wander over what happened in the shower. Just the slightest memory of it warmed his insides, making Harry feel strangely squirmy. What exactly it all meant was a tomorrow-problem. Tonight he'd try closing his eyes and getting some rest before the sun inevitably rose and streamed through his window.


	8. Chapter 8

The arrival to Kingsley's office was a hassle and a half, as Harry tried to navigate what seemed like a million people. The Ministry was filled with witches, wizards, and different species of all kinds trying to squeeze into the Floos, the Atrium, and the lifts. By the time he arrived at the top level of the Ministry, Harry felt like a tinned sardine. Straightening his robes, Harry walked through the waiting area, pausing as something tugged on his memory. His head twinged and he brought a hand up to massage his forehead. 

"Are you alright, Mr Potter?" asked Kingsley's secretary, Sophie. 

"Yeah, just a little headache." He smiled politely. "I sent the Minister a message yesterday. Is he in?" 

Sophie continued to look concerned, but took him at his word. She moved back to her desk and placed a manicured finger on the current time in her agenda. 

"Looks like he should be in. He has something in about an hour, but for you? I'm sure he'd make the time." She flashed him a kind smile. 

Harry felt his cheeks flame. 

Harry nodded to the posted Auror guard before knocking on the large door. 

"Minister? It's Harry."

"Come in, come in, Mr Potter." 

Harry kept the smile to himself as he opened the door and stepped into the bright office. Today the curtains were thrown wide open, allowing the morning sun to fill the room. Harry took a seat in front of Kingsley's desk, closing his eyes for just a moment as the sun beams warmed his face. 

"So, Mr Potter. We have a fair bit to catch up on."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his always-messy hair, then down to scratch at his beard. Not sure how everything was connected - if it even was - Harry started his tale from his and Draco's arrival to the safe-house, adding in the bits about the weird shared mental connection, but leaving out the…sexual details. He thought about mentioning his headaches, and random surges of emotions, but in all likelihood they were directly tied to Draco's emotions and therefore not really worth mentioning. 

"And we've spent the last few weeks researching as many texts as we could find in both Hermione and Draco's collections. I feel like we are at a bit of a loss here, without much to go on aside from the connection."

Kingsley sat back in his chair, fingertips tapping together while he took some time to think. 

"It's possible, as Ms Granger suggested, that the cause was one of the many magical artifacts within that room. I'll send you any of the information we have on that, though it won't be much, considering our best recon team was the two of you. I have images from the first team's sweep that might help Mr Malfoy discern some of the artifacts in the room."

Harry nodded. It was a long shot but still worth the try.

"I'm sorry that I can't be more help, Harry. Though, I think it would be wise to take some time away from the office, and focus solely on research. I will provide some texts as well, ones I've acquired over the years that might be helpful." 

Harry hesitated. He hated being told that he couldn't come in to work. Kingsley took the silence as reluctant acceptance, and continued.

"I'll do what I can for you on this end, and if I think of anything, I will owl you of course. I expect you to do the same." 

He knew, by now, when he was being dismissed, so Harry stood and offered his hand to shake with Kingsley's. 

As he left the office, he waved to Sophie. She smiled at him, but went right back to focusing on her typewriter. 

He'd make a quick stop at his desk to pick up a few things before heading back to Grimmauld Place for the day. One quick prod at the connection yielded nothing. Draco was still ignoring him.

_____

"So how's the Professor's Assistant working out?" Harry grinned, popping a crisp into his mouth.

Hermione sighed as she dropped her head into her hands. "Uuuuuugh!"

Harry laughed. 

"That well, mm?"

"Okay, that's not entirely fair of me. She's a lovely person." Hermione lifted her head and tried for a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. It only made Harry laugh harder.

"Riiiight."

"It's just that… See, she uses the red ink for corrections, and the blue for regular marking. And then black ink for almost everything else. That doesn't include all of the coloured tabs I created for the filling system! And don't get me started - "

Harry was nearly rolling with laughter, bowl of crisps almost entirely forgotten. 

"Am I interrupting?" Draco asked politely from where he was leaning against the doorjamb of Harry's kitchen. Harry had almost forgotten that he'd opened the wards. Since Andromeda was busy hosting for the afternoon, Harry had suggested to Hermione that they could meet at Grimmauld for researching that afternoon, and when Draco eventually reached out to Harry through the wards, Harry had offered the invitation to him as well. 

Harry looked over at Draco, a smile still on his lips from moments ago. Draco looked a bit embarrassed, but returned the smile. 

"No, please come sit. Hermione was just regaling me with tales of her horrible assistant. Even though the whole Professor's Assistant was her idea in the first place." 

Hermione groaned again, letting her head actually drop to the table this time. 

"I thought it would help. It's integrating Muggle concepts into the school system, and it gives the seventh-years an opportunity to learn and grow by helping the younger students." 

"I see. I can't fathom how that could possibly go wrong," Draco replied sarcastically, but his expression read amused. "Especially given how…very organized you are."

Hermione made a groaning noise from the table, and Harry reached over to pat her on the shoulder gently. 

"Ah, don't let it bother you too much, 'Mione. I'm sure she means well, she just isn't used to how particular you are. Why don't I make us some lunch in the meantime, yeah? That'll make you feel a little better." 

"And in the meantime, I brought this!" Draco pulled a massive and rather old looking text from within his robes. 

**++ Where the hell'd you find the room to keep something that big? ++**

Draco turned an extremely amused expression to Harry's slightly shocked face.

_// I think you'd be surprised at the large things I keep hidden beneath these robes. //_

Harry choked; thankfully Hermione was too enthralled by the new book in her hands to notice. 

**++ Yeah, I think you forget that I've seen it. It's not that big. ++**

Draco scoffed, clearly insulted, as Harry started to pull out ingredients and plates. 

_// Excuse you, but it is a perfectly respectable size. In fact, any bigger and it just might tear your arse apart if I were_ fucking _you. //_

Between the vulgar words, and the erotic images punctuating his words, Harry bit back a groan. And Draco knew it. 

_// Like that, do you? How about this then? //_

The next visual Draco shared almost made Harry's knees buckle. It was quite clearly the two of them. Harry's legs were wrapped tight around Draco's waist, who was pounding into him so hard that the wall they were pressed against started to quake. Both of them were making obscene noises that shot straight to Harry's insides.

Just as Harry started cutting vegetables, Draco sent another image through. This time Draco had Harry bent over the edge of a bed, his slow, purposeful thrusts continued at a teasing pace. Harry dropped the knife with a clatter and bit down on his fist. At this rate, he was going to come in his pants like a sixteen-year-old virgin. 

**++ I'm going to slice a finger off if you don't stop. ++**

_// Oh? I thought you were enjoying yourself. At least, that's how it looks from here. //_

Harry looked at the table, where Hermione was still engrossed in the text, but Draco was looking directly at him, raising a neatly trimmed brow. Harry looked down at himself only to see his erection jutting straight out and forcing a tent in his pants. In a panic, he dropped his hands over the area but that only encourage Draco to laugh at him through the connection. 

_// Might I suggest you find a washroom? //_

Harry couldn't deny the logic there. Hermione didn't even notice as he scurried past.

_____

Draco smirked as Harry ran by. He should have known Harry would be one of those completely repressed Gryffindor stereotypes. Instead of teasing Harry some more, Draco decided to make use of his time and started reading. That was until he could feel Harry reaching out. 

**++ Draco? ++**

Although his voice was far from timid, there was a definite shyness to the way Harry called out for him. He was fully erect in seconds. A new record. 

_// Yes, Harry? //_

As if he didn't already have a clue what Harry wanted. When Harry finally replied, it was filled with a breathless and mischievous tone. 

**++ It's too bad you're stuck in the kitchen… ++**

_// Oh? And why is that? //_

Harry might have had a taste of Draco's dominance, but he was trying to play against a Dom with years more experience under his belt. So when Harry sent through the image of him standing in front of the bathroom mirror, eyes fixed on the heavy prick in hand, Draco wasn't nearly as ruffled as he would have been in his youth. No, he was ready for it. 

_// I'm sorry, Potter, but I don't recall saying you could touch yourself yet. //_

The command was clear, but Harry was within his rights to ignore it and just play his own game. Something inside them both knew that Harry wouldn't say no. Harry's hand dropped, his cock bouncing thickly in the air. 

_// Are you going to ask me? //_

**++ Ask you what? ++**

_// Don't be dense, Potter. Ask me for permission. //_

_____

**++ Can I touch myself? Please, Sir? ++** Harry sent through, hoping it was enough.

_// Oh, good boy, Potter. You've learned some manners. I think that has definitely earned you something. Go ahead and stroke yourself for me. //_

**++ Thank you, ++** Harry added awkwardly, but grasped himself with slow strokes.

 _// Go faster. I'm not a patient man, Harry, and we don't have the kind of time we did last night. //_ A sound came through that might have been a growl or a grunt but it was hard to tell. 

**++ Yes, Sir. ++**

As commanded, Harry picked up the pace, rolling his palm over the head and back down again. Each up stroke brought the slip of skin over his now-sensitive tip, where drips of his salty essence gathered, which he collected and smeared across the rest of his length like lubricant. He was building closer, not with the same intensity as the night before, but still quite pleasurable. 

_// I want you to bring yourself right to the edge. And then I want you to stop. //_

Harry groaned through their connection, knowing how hard that was going to be. And yet there was a tiny little part of him that was starting to enjoy when he obeyed. Not because he enjoyed the submission per se, but there was something to be said about Draco's praise.

As the pleasure began to build somewhere inside his core, Harry shifted his stance so that his hips pushed into his fist. He groaned again, tilting his head back which tightened the muscles on his chest. In his head, Draco's presence made a huffing noise that sounded half like a sigh and half like a repressed moan.

_// Yes, fuck your fist just like that. Imagine that it's my mouth wrapped tight around you. Oh, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? //_

**++ Fuck, I bet you'd look gorgeous on your knees in front of me. Those fucking pretty lips stretched around my cock - fuuuuck I'm getting too close! ++**

_// Keep going. //_ Draco commanded, and Harry obeyed. _// Yes, that's right. You like being so good for me, don't you? //_

**++ Yes, Yes, fuck I want to be so good. ++**

_____

This wasn't the first time that Draco noticed how Harry reacted to his praise. He'd kept it limited to these two encounters, but now that he'd confirmed it, Draco knew he'd smatter it in during their research as well. It would do well to see just how flustered he could make the Saviour.

_// You are good, Harry. Such a good boy for me. //_

He could see Harry's body shaking with need, a trail of pre-come dripping continuously from the tip, and skin so flushed Harry almost looked sunburnt. He was holding close to that edge, but not tipping over. Fuck, he was doing exactly what Draco told him, waiting to cross over that edge until he was told he could. The heady feeling of power shot straight to Draco's groin, and combined with the complete arousal he'd felt watching and listening to Harry, was enough to make him come untouched, right against the fabric of his trousers. He managed enough control that he looked almost completely unruffled, aside from a light blush on his cheeks. After a subtle cleaning spell, any remaining evidence was gone. When he turned his attention back to Harry, it was with pure lust that he realized Harry was still on the edge, waiting.

_// Come. //_

And Harry did, as if all his body needed to hear was that one word before he released all over the sink and mirror in front of him. It took a few minutes before Harry came down from his high. 

_// Feeling better? //_

Draco couldn't help the smug grin on his face or the way it seemed to fill his tone. He was proud of how far Harry had come in just two sessions, and that was without either of them laying a single hand on the other. Maybe it would be different then? Draco didn't know, but he did know that he didn't want to stop. That should have been a sign to stop, a sign to step away and make some distance, but just the thought of creating distance between them made something ache inside his chest. It was too early to talk about love, but there was something there.

**++ Mmph, j-just need a minute. ++**

Draco chuckled and returned his attention to the book he was supposed to be studying. Hermione had been quiet for the most part, but she'd managed to fill almost a foot of parchment with notes on the text she was reading. Every now and then she would scratch something out, or flip a page, but otherwise she still hadn't even noticed Harry's absence. 

It was another five minutes before Harry came back into the kitchen, but by then Draco had honed into a paragraph in his book. It mentioned something about different family curses that were rather popular over 300 years prior. When he finally looked up again, Harry was eyeing him with a strangely angry look on his face. 

_// What's wrong? //_

Draco tried, but it seemed like Harry had already put a wall up between them. Instead, he offered a quizzical expression, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm afraid I need to ask you both to leave. Something's come up."

Draco had never been more confused in his life. What had happened in that five minutes that provoked Harry into this antagonistic response? 

"Is everything alright, Harry?" Hermione reached out to touch his hand, but he flinched away from her and just walked away. 

She turned to Draco, eyes wide with worry. "We'd better go. When he gets into a mood, there's no reasoning with him until he's willing to get passed it. Though I thought things were going well… I wonder what set him off?"

Draco shook his head, while stacking up the remaining books. He knew what had happened, but didn't understand how it all pieced together. "Who knows. Maybe he's just got some bad news or something?" 

Hermione shrugged, but grabbed her purse before walking to the Floo, offering the pot to Draco before grabbing a handful for herself. "I guess we'll just see you next time. Please don't hesitate to owl me if you find…your symptoms change." 

He nodded at her before throwing the powder into the fireplace and stepping in.

_____

It wasn't until much later, when Draco had settled at his desk in the study, that he finally felt the wall start to come down. Almost immediately his thoughts shot out. 

_// Potter! Are you alright? What happened?! //_

For all the anxiety in Draco's voice, it took another few minutes before Harry responded. When eventually he did, it was slow and tinged with a sharpness. 

**++ Why do you call me that? ++**

_// What? What are you on about? I'm asking if you are okay? You gave your friend a right scare this afternoon! //_

**++ Potter. You call me Potter still… Unless we're doing the other thing. Then you use my name. ++**

Draco blinked a few times. 

_// A-are you… drunk? //_

**++ No. And I asked first. ++**

_// No, Potter. Technically I asked you if you are alright first, and you have yet to actually respond to that. //_

**++ See, there you again with that 'Potter' shit. Why don't you call me Harry all the time? Why is it only when we are doing…stuff? ++**

Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair, eventually settling on pinching the bridge of his nose. Apparently he was going to have to play Po - Harry's game if he wanted any answers, though he was going to make sure Harry regretted running him through this insanity the next time they decided to play. 

No, he wouldn't do that. One of his earliest lessons in being a good Dom, was learning to leave life on the outside. Leave the issues outside of the bedroom, because this wasn't the place to work them out. A Dom and sub's space was essentially a sanctuary, and should be treated as such. Already he was regretting the path his thoughts had taken. 

_// I call you that when you are being 'Potter'. I don't really know how to explain it - when you are being less than your true self. I call you Harry when we're playing, because I've never seen you open yourself to anyone like that. And yes, I feel like I would know if that was true, considering how closely we've been watched each other for years. //_

Draco paused and tried to gather his thoughts. 

_// You give so much of yourself to other people, but when you think about it, how much of it is really you? Authentically you? Sure, there's your relationship with Teddy, but then again… Teddy isn't able to praise you the way you need to be praised. Hell, we both know you don't want to hear it from most people because you could never trust them to be genuine with you. //_

**++ You seem to have a lot of ideas about me… ++**

_// As do most people who think they know you. Unfortunately for you, I'm also the most accurate in my assessment. //_

**++ And in your assessment, you think I want to be praised, but not really? Because I can't trust people to praise me right? How does that even make sense?! ++**

_// You crave being praised the right way, but everyone always tells you what they think you want to hear, because for some reason, they think you are special. //_

**++ Oh no, definitely keep going. This is going great for you so far. ++**

Harry's snark was starting to piss him off, so Draco shut him down.

_// Clearly tonight isn't a good night for you. So before I say something I will end up regretting, I'm going to close this connection. //_

**++ NO! No, wait…please… ++**

_// And why should I? You're clearly in a mood, and I have no reason to sit here and receive verbal abuse from you. //_

**++ I… I don't know. I'm feeling weird. I don't like talking about shit. I never have. ++**

_// That doesn't work for me. Part of the give and take is communication. I need to know I can trust you. I need to know you will honestly tell me if something isn't working. I may be able to hear your thoughts, but that doesn't mean everything you are thinking comes through. It doesn't mean I'll be able to interpret your thoughts properly. Today is a great example. I have no idea what happened, but you are upset. Apparently enough to decide to get drunk. //_

Draco was surprised he got so much out without interruption, but he could feel Harry's shame running through their connection. 

_// I'm not trying to make you feel shitty about your choices, Harry… They are your choices to make. I just think if we're going to continue something here, and really give it a chance… Then you need to think about how your choices might make me feel. //_

Harry didn't say anything for a while, and Draco wondered if maybe he'd passed out. 

**++ You looked completely unaffected. I came into the kitchen and saw you sitting there, looking for all the world like you couldn't give less of a shit about what we did. About what I did. It - … ++**

Harry hesitated, but Draco didn't want him to stop now. Not when it seemed like they were finally communicating. He didn't use words, but he gently encouraged Harry to continue with his feelings. It was hard to describe, but almost as if he could mentally reach out and place a hand on Harry's hand. 

**++ It made me feel cheap. Which is a really weird thing for me to say, but that's what I felt. But now that I'm sitting here, hours later, I can't really explain why it made me that mad. I just, saw red, I guess. ++**

It was something Draco filed away for later, because it wasn't the first time Harry had an unexpected burst of anger. Draco wondered if it was at all related to their current situation. 

_// So you think that because I was in control, because I looked calm and unflustered, that you didn't have any effect on me? //_

Draco's voice, so very quiet, was filled with something so intangible that Harry would have a hard time discerning what it was. Instead of allowing him a chance to respond, Draco filled Harry's mind with the pure lust and want he'd felt as Harry obeyed his orders. He replayed the moment he came right at the table, in his trousers, like a horny teenager. 

_// Did you feel that, Harry? Did you feel when I lost control of my body because you were so unbelievably sexy to me, I couldn't contain it? //_

Harry made a squeaking sound that filtered through their connection, and Draco almost wanted to laugh, if he wasn't so exhausted from this battle. He'd always known things between them would be explosive, but adding the element of sex in the mix was only going to guarantee more trouble… Draco could only hope that it would be worth it.

_// You like my praise because you know I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. I will call you out on your shit, and tell you when you're being a twat. And when I'm praising you, you know it's genuine. //_

There was a strange surge of feeling starting in his chest, but he couldn't identify what it was or what it meant. He scratched at the area but noted that it wasn't a physical issue… Was that Harry's emotions? Before he could ask, Harry made his excuses of bed, and said that they should talk more in the morning… When the sun was up and things looked a little brighter. 

**++ For what it's worth, Draco… I'm sorry that I acted like such a shit-head. I don't know what came over me. ++**

_// I'm sure it's nothing. But if it makes you feel better, then you're forgiven. //_

Draco grinned to himself, unable to resist teasing the other man just a little more before bed. At least today they could go to bed knowing that they'd made up, even if they weren't really together. It was barely even considered a casual thing, so why then did the idea of not technically having a label feel so strangely upsetting?


	9. Chapter 9

As much as Draco thought this conversation could wait, last night proved that it couldn't. Draco quickly penned a letter to Hermione Granger, the very last person he ever thought he'd send one to, asking if they could get together for tea as soon as she was available. They could try to plan it, but the sooner Draco figured things out, the better he'd be able to maneuver the situation. Sending it with his fastest owl, Draco turned back towards the study 

Draco turned back towards the study: after reaching out to various pure-blood families for their help with one of his Ministry research projects, he'd received several more books in the post. One of them was sure to have something useful.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he received a response from Hermione, inviting him over, as she'd just arrived home for the start of Christmas break. It was a little earlier than break usually was, however all of her students had already sat through her exams and she'd finished marking what needed to be done before heading home for winter holidays.

Quickly gathering the new books, Draco appeared just beyond Hermione's wards. The house was actually a quaint little cottage apparently in the middle of nowhere, but with a stunning view of the English countryside. He knocked politely on the door and waited. 

After some scrambling sounds and a voice shouting at something/someone to move out the way before she stepped on them, the door was opened by a rather disheveled looking Hermione. 

"Mal - er, Draco! Please, come in." She smiled hesitantly, and wasn't that the theme these days. 

How exactly did one move past the atrocities of war? 

"Thank you, Hermione…" He also stumbled over her name, but maintained the same level of pleasantness and offered her the bag at his side. One of the nice things about getting along was that Draco understood a little bit about what made Harry's friends happy. 

"OH! How lovely! I have never seen these texts…anywhere!" Hermione led them to the living room, where she'd unpacked some paperwork on the coffee table. She shoved them aside and placed the books on the table, sitting cross-legged in front of it. 

"They belonged to my family, as well as some other.. well-preserved families." Draco didn't want to use the term 'pure-blood.' He wanted to keep her in good spirits before he asked her all the things he wanted to know about Harry. 

"Preserved!" Hermione snorted and shook her head. "I suppose that's certainly one word for them. Still though." She sighed reverently, fingers delicately tracing the intricate design on the spine of on one of the books. "These are stunning. I promise I'll give them back as soon as I'm done." 

Draco shrugged. "Keep them. Consider it a gift for helping us figure out what's wrong."

"Oh, I couldn't! Some of these don't even belong to you either." She chuckled.

"It's actually common for families to trade books and other items. They're mine to give as I please." 

Draco took a spot awkwardly on the floor, on the other side of the table, legs extended ahead of him, allowing him to rest back on the palms of his hands. 

"Actually, Hermione… I came here with a different conversation in mind."

Hermione gently pushed aside the book she was holding, and looked up at Draco. It felt like she was analyzing him... He had the suspicion she already knew what he was thinking. 

"It's about Harry, isn't it?" 

"Sort of… Mostly. It's…complicated." Draco sighed, tilting his head back and letting strands of his hair fall back out of his face. Hermione hummed.

"With Harry, it usually is." 

Draco laughed mirthlessly, trying to put his thoughts into words. It was strange trying to do that with someone; with Harry in his head, all he had to do was think it and Harry understood. Usually.

"I don't know where to start, to be honest." 

"You have feelings for him then?"

"What? No! Maybe. I don't know." Draco sat up and scrubbed his face with his palms, feeling frustrated. 

"I don't know what I feel. Half the time I don't know if it's my feelings or his. If it's genuine, or if it's because of whatever is happening to us. I would feel a lot better if I actually understood what it was that caused this." 

Hermione nodded, but didn't interrupt. 

"I feel like, I've seen parts of him that no one else has seen, and vice versa. It leaves us both a bit vulnerable to each other. And I'm strangely drawn to him, as much as I was before, but with this connection between us, it's almost as if he's just as drawn to me. It's like…" Draco took a breath and tried to gather his thoughts. 

"I don't know how to talk about this without going into too much detail. It's not fair for me to share things with you that Harry wouldn't want you to know."

Hermione smiled and rested her cheek in her palm, elbow resting on the table.

"I'm sure I've some idea of what you're trying to say. Even without you saying it."

Draco raised his brow at her, chuckling. 

"I wouldn't be all that surprised if you did."

"Have you had sex?" 

Draco choked on a breath, and straightened his back. Leave it to Hermione to cut straight to the chase.

"No!" Draco paused. "Not really. Not _physically_."

Both of Hermione's brows rose, as if trying to determine what he meant for herself. Draco cut her line of thought off by being just as direct. 

"It's…the connection. We've engaged in some intimacy through thought alone. That's actually part of why I wanted to come talk to you. Something happened yesterday…"

Draco proceeded to fill Hermione in on the barest of details of their _mental liaison the day before_ , about Harry's burst of rage after, and the subsequent drinking. Not that he was the best person to judge when it came to drinking of course, but Draco felt certain this wasn't a usual occurrence for Harry. 

"Hmm." Hermione pursed her lips, her eyes gazing off into the distance as she considered all the details. "Has he…mentioned his past encounters?"

"Not really."

"I'm not all that surprised. He's always been a bit shy when it comes to discussing sex. He's had two exes, and I'm sure you know Ginny was one of them. Between growing up in the middle of a war, and being so well-known that all the papers are constantly tracking his every move, Harry's never really had a chance to…explore. He repressed his wants and needs during school because, frankly there was never any time for that."

Draco nodded, wishing he could feel surprised. If his own life had been followed as closely as Harry's had… 

"So he's a virgin then?"

"No… Not that I'm aware. But he's not very experienced either. Ginny said they only had sex once, and she's pretty sure that was his first time. But I know that Harry tried to experiment with a man once, but it's not my story to share. To my understanding, he just stopped having any interest in sex of any kind."

Draco nodded. This whole situation was still so unfamiliar to him, sitting here talking frankly about sex with Hermione. Specifically Harry's sex life. The corners of his lips twitched, which Hermione caught. She smiled too.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just… I feel like a pair of clucking hens here, just gossiping about people's sex lives." Draco chuckled.

Hermione couldn't help giggling as well, and pulled out her wand.

"Shall I summon some tea and biscuits?" 

Draco nodded and stretched his arms high above his head, cracking his back. Hermione made them both a cup of hot tea, and hummed.

"Just…be careful with him. Harry is constantly on guard, and doesn't always understand when someone sincerely fancies him."

"While I'm sure that's true, I'm not about to treat him like a glass ornament, Hermione. I think we both know he'd hate that."

She couldn't disagree, but Draco understood that she was only worried about her friend. 

"I promise I don't intend to hurt him. If anything, I think he has a greater chance of hurting me." Draco sighed and looked into his tea cup.

"You Slytherins don't really show much in the way of vulnerability, do you?"

Draco smiled bitterly at Hermione's question.

"Why would we? When someone could easily take advantage of that?"

"It would also mean that you'll never allow yourself a genuine experience with someone. If you keep most of yourself hidden, how will there be any depth in your relationships?"

It was a fair question, but one Draco didn't know how to answer.

"It's not really an issue when most of us have arranged marriages anyways. It's never been about a true, deep connection. So why allow that person to have any kind of hold on you?" 

Draco felt a profound sadness in his heart suddenly. The closest he'd ever been to sharing so much of himself was with his childhood enemy. Knowing everything he did about Draco, could Harry ever learn to feel something for him? Draco ran both hands through his hair, pushing it back out of his face again. When he looked up again, Hermione was looking at him with a knowing expression. She was far too smart for her own good. 

"I see he already does." 

"Don't."

"Draco…"

"Just… Don't. I'd rather not think about it if I don't have to. Especially since, you know, he hears my thoughts and all."

Hermione let it go at that, instead offering him a biscuit from the summoned plate. Draco sighed and scratched at his chest again, which reminded him of the other reason he'd asked to speak with Hermione. 

"There's also a new development. Might be from the bond, curse, whatever. Might not be. But it's definitely worth mentioning. Actually, it's something I'm just going to have to show you…"

Hermione's brows lifted in surprise, but she motioned for him to continue. He grasped the bottom part of the soft grey jumper and lifted it over his head, leaving him shirtless in Hermione's living room. He could only hope that her boyfriend didn't suddenly come home and get the wrong idea… Hermione's eyes widened at the sudden partial nudity, until she spotted the marking on Draco's chest.

"Didn't take you for someone who'd willingly get another tattoo…" she mused out loud.

"It turned up last night." 

Draco's fingers lightly caressed the shape pressed into his skin, just above his left peck. It resembled a crest from something, a family crest or house crest, but Draco couldn't place it.

Hermione sat forward, trying to get a better look.

"Curious…"

"It was after Harry and I were talking…" 

"Was there anything in particular you can remember about when you noticed it?"

"Not really. It was a bit itchy, but that's about it." 

Hermione raised a brow, curious. "Nothing emotional?"

Draco narrowed his eyes, and didn't answer. Hermione's lips twitched into something close to a smirk, which was entirely unsettling. She crawled around the coffee table and moved close enough to almost be pressed against Draco. Her fingertips reached out to graze over the raised markings of flesh on Draco's chest. It was purely clinical, and yet Draco's cheeks began to flush. 

It was exactly then that something in the hall shattered, causing them both to look up and see Harry standing there with an expression of pure betrayal, and the remains of a shattered vase on the floor in front of him. 

"I can see now wasn't a good time to swing by after all," Harry growled menacingly and turned to leave.

"Harry!" Hermione squeaked. "It's not what you-"

"HARRY!" Draco shouted, but the door slammed closed. Grabbing his jumper and throwing it back on haphazardly. 

By the time Draco was dressed again, and had the door flung open, Harry was gone. With a frustrated noise, Draco turned back to Hermione. 

"Sorry, I just - I've got to go."

Hermione nodded, but grabbed his arm before he turned to leave. 

"I can't fathom what is going on with him right now. But the last time he was like this was during the war. Be careful."

Draco scoffed.

"He wasn't breakable then, and he sure as hell isn't breakable now. He's tougher than you give him credit for, Hermione." 

"I hope, for his sake, that you're right." Hermione let go of his arm and moved back inside the house to _Reparo_ the broken vase.

_____

Draco reached out with his mind, trying to get a read on Harry's feelings, but only found a solid wall in place. _Fuck!_ Draco kicked a stone in the street and thought about all the places Harry might go. He didn't know him as well as he'd like, but he had a few ideas. Harry likely wouldn't go to Andromeda's for fear of scaring Teddy. That left his office at the Ministry, the Burrow, and Grimmauld Place. Of those three, Grimmauld Place made the most sense, as it allowed Harry the space to be alone while he raged. 

But when Draco attempted to Apparate there, although the wards let him through, he found the door solidly locked. 

_// HARRY! LET ME IN! //_

Silence. Nothing through their connection, nor the door. Draco considered using _Alohamora_ , but that would only make things worse. He slammed both his fists against the door in frustration.

_// Harry, so help me, if you don't let me in I will get Molly. //_

The door seemed to open by itself, swinging inward. Draco peeked in but didn't see Harry. 

_// Harry…? Talk to me. You can't keep shutting me out. I told you last night I won't put up with this. //_

**++ No one is forcing you to come after me. ++** Harry's tone was bitter.

Draco rounded a corner and found him. Harry was sitting at the table in his kitchen, just staring at a cup of tea. 

"At least this time you didn't go straight for the liquor," Draco teased, but Harry was unamused.

**++ Why are you here. ++**

"Because something obviously upset you. And sure, while we've not made each other any promises, we've agreed to something casual. And it's my…duty, as your Do- " 

Something shattered near Draco's ear as Harry tossed a cup at the wall behind him.

 **++ YOU AREN'T MY ANYTHING! ++** Harry shouted through their connection. Startled, Draco took a step back. 

"I think you're becoming too dependant on the connection, Harry. Just talk to me," Draco tried calmly, even though he felt anything but. This side of Harry always seemed to bring out the worst in him, and it took every ounce of patience not to rage right back. 

**++ I think you just need to shut up. You don't know anything about me, Malfoy! ++**

Harry turned, stalking out of the kitchen and started pacing in the living room. Draco followed carefully, watching Harry from a distance. Abstractly, Draco noted that Harry resembled a restless dog, pacing and panting with frustration, danger emanating from him in waves. It was the kind of energy that said you would get bitten if you got too close. But Draco had never been afraid of Harry. He moved in.

"I know more than most. I know what makes you tick. I know how fiercely you defend your friends, regardless of their pasts. I know you take care of your people, because they are your family." Each word was accentuated with a step forward. Harry held his ground, not quite snarling. Draco continued, ignoring Harry's stance by summoning every ounce of Dominant from his core. 

"I know you hate with your whole body, and I've recently learn that you love just as fiercely." 

Harry looked taken aback, his posture stiffening. "I don't love you," he spat. 

"No, but you do feel _something_ for me. Don't bother denying it. I can feel it inside me." Draco paused, expression pained for a fraction of a second before it flashed to frustration. "You have no idea, Harry. Because you never let anyone get close. And now you've been forced into this situation where you have to share these intimate parts of yourself with someone. And I get it! It makes me feel unbelievably raw too." 

Draco felt breathless, running a hand through his hair. He noticed that he'd almost walked Harry into a corner, so he took a few steps back to give him some room. Harry shifted from one foot to the other, restless and frustrated like the caged animal Draco knew him to be. Harry needed someone who could help set him free, someone who could give the wild beast room to grow. He reached out, offering his hand. 

"You've come a long way in such a short time. It's only been three or four weeks." And yet, Draco knew he would never be able to feel the same feigned disinterest that he'd managed before. Now that he'd had a taste, Draco couldn't look back, especially after years of hate and fire. It wasn't a far stretch to love, and it made his chest itch once more, reminding him of the mark he'd shown Hermione. A thought struck him then.

"Were you jealous?" 

Harry whipped his head up, face a mixture of emotions. Draco could feel the turmoil of them in his head. 

"What are you on about? Jealous of who, you? Hermione? The fuck do I care?! She's taken, mate," Harry spat, but his thoughts circled around something very different.

"No. You were - are angry that she touched me like that. With my shirt off." He could see something twitch on Harry's face, and his thoughts turned back into the image of Draco shirtless with Hermione's hand outstretched. From Harry's point-of-view, it didn't look as innocent as it was. 

"Fuck off, Malfoy." Harry made a low noise, almost a growl. He took one step forward, mirroring Draco, but the blond stood his ground. Draco understood that Harry had a lot to work through, but like hell was he going to be the other man's punching bag for it. He could offer a way to release some of that pent up tension.

_// Do it. //_

Harry launched himself at Draco, and at first he'd been sure that he'd been punched. His back slammed into the wall, and then Draco felt Harry press their lips together. Their teeth and jaws clacked together painfully, Harry's hands roaming over every inch he could touch. There was something earnest in the way that everything Harry did was done with his entire being. Why should kissing be any different? Draco groaned into the kiss; he grasped Harry's shirt roughly and flipped their positions, pressing Harry's back into the wall firmly. He pinned Harry's hands above his head, never once breaking the kiss. Lips and tongues battled, less for dominance and more for the passion of the fight itself. Harry may have given in easily in their first two encounters, but Draco got the distinct feeling that Harry's submission was something he would have to continuously earn. A pleased growl left him at the thought, eagerly allowing his thoughts to pass through their connection.

 **++ You're damned fucking right you'll have to earn it, ++** Harry hissed at him, but Draco only chuckled. 

_// It will be_ my _pleasure, //_ Draco purred. He slowed the kiss, taking his time to explore Harry's taste, the feel of his lips, the warmth of Harry's body against his. Easing away, Draco pressed their heads together, eyes still closed, and allowed Harry's hands to drop to his sides. Their panting breaths mingled together in the hushed tranquility of their moment. 

_// I'm going to go in a minute. But I want to make sure you understand, when I'm with someone…regardless of how casual things are…I don't fuck around. She was looking at a new mark on my chest, one that might relate to our bond, nothing more. //_

Harry nodded. 

**++ I don't know why I… I was just so irrational. I can't really explain it. I couldn't stop myself. ++**

_// I have a feeling it's all connected. //_

Draco pulled away, smoothing his hair. Harry looked completely rumpled and breathless. In fact, Draco noted that with a light blush on his cheeks, Harry was absolutely gorgeous. Draco sighed and turned away. 

**++ Do you really have to go? ++** Harry sounded completely drained, as if all his fight had left with that kiss. 

_// I don't trust myself not to ravage you right now. //_

Harry chuckled and crossed his arms, as Draco tilted his head to look back at him. 

**++ And what makes you think I don't want that? ++**

Draco shook his head, wondering why he allowed his brain to overtake other parts of his apparently desperate body. 

_// I'm sure you think you do. But… We both need some time to think after…what happened. //_ Draco shrugged and tried to wrap all of his concerns into a nice package, but it was impossible. Instead he settled for: _// Trust me, I want nothing more than to take you right on that couch. But a lot of this is new for you, and don't try to deny it. Think about what you want, what you really want, out of…all this. If you wake up tomorrow and decide that after everything we've gone through, our pasts, and the last few weeks, that you still want to try something… Actually try… Then you'll know where to reach me. //_

Draco knew he was leaving a lot out, but the more detailed he got, the longer they would be here for. Best let the man make up his own mind, but give him Draco's boundaries for starting something together.

Draco only nodded in reply as he left. The wait till tomorrow would feel long, so he rushed home in hopes of finding something there to distract his mind from lingering too much.


	10. Chapter 10

"Two butterbeers please, Rosmerta!" Ron grinned, clearly still a little infatuated like the days of his youth, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Here you are then!" She happily passed them the foamy mugs, each taking one in hand and heading to an empty table towards the back of the tavern. It was quiet enough that finding a spot away from prying ears hadn't been that hard. It was an unusual meet-up, of course, since Diagon Alley was significantly closer; however, Hermione had been called back for a disciplinary meeting regarding a student who had cheated on an exam. Instead of staying home or meeting at a local pub, Harry had suggested they go with Hermione and hit up some of their old haunts, for old times' sake. 

Being back here, while nostalgic, reminded Harry just how much of his youth he'd lost to a useless war. That he'd returned to this place with the same level of Malfoy-obsession was borderline amusing. 

"So have you lot gotten any closer to figuring out what's wrong?" Ron started. Harry knew that Ron had some kind of idea that something had happened between him and Draco. Partly because he was smarter and more observant than most people gave him credit for. And partly because he and Hermione were close to becoming the same person, so what one knew, the other knew as well.

"Not really. We've narrowed it down to a few things, but there's so much lost history, and not enough information. It's hard to decide what to follow."

Ron nodded his understanding. "It's probably tough when you don't know if it's a spell or an object that cursed you."

"At least it isn't another Hogwarts Professor." Harry laughed bitterly. 

Ron sighed. "Still, you've got Hermione on your side! No doubt she'll find the answer, yeah?" 

Harry nodded and took a long sip of his butterbeer. He'd missed this. Not just the drink of course, or even being at Rosmerta's, but just this easy camaraderie. Of course, Ron was his best friend, and it was a friendship built over many years and significant trials, but they'd come out the other side for the better. Things were never this easy with Draco, but that didn't mean they weren't worth trying. It was clear to both of them that there was a spark between them, but was it enough to overcome years of anger and bitterness, or would it be their undoing? 

"Ron, I think I might have feelings for Draco." 

"Yeah, I kinda figured." Ron shrugged. "I've already made my peace with it."

"There's more to it than that, though."

"It wouldn't be you if there weren't." 

"He… I… We - " Harry couldn't put together the right words. "This connection started something between us. I don't really know how to explain it, and I sure as hell don't know what to call it. But… I think I might like it."

"If it makes you happy, and you both feel good about it, then what's the problem?"

Harry sighed and tried to put his finger on the issue. 

"You know I'm not exactly the most experienced when it comes to sex. But the things we've done… I mean. The things he has me do…" Harry swallowed a groan, but his face betrayed his desire. Ron made a gagging face.

"Listen mate, I don't want to know all the depraved things you guys do. But Harry." Ron sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The most important things you have to ask yourself: are you enjoying it? Are you happy? Does it feel good?" Ron shuddered as he asked the last question. 

Harry wriggled his nose, bringing his hand up to support his chin, and thought earnestly about the last few weeks. He mused on the emotional rollercoaster they'd suddenly found themselves on, and the things they'd learned about each other. The more Harry replayed the more intimate scenes in his mind, the more he realized just how much he'd enjoyed himself. In fact, Harry suppressed a shiver as he recalled the way Draco had skillfully gained Harry's submission with just his thoughts, and how much he'd actually enjoyed surrendering his free will. 

' _…such a good boy for me._ ' Memories of Draco's voice played through his mind, the praise standing out above all else. His cock twitched to life, and he suddenly remembered where he was. Ron was staring into the bottom of his mug, looking a little more green than usual. Poor bastard. After all this, Harry was going to owe him a proper drink some day.

"Yeah. I'm happy. And I think I more than enjoy it… He just - he has this way of getting to me, and it's not something I've ever experienced with anyone else before."

"And you're sure that has nothing to do with whatever is keeping the two of you connected?" Ron looked as if he wanted nothing more than to end the conversation.

"It's not that completely. I thought that at first, too, but that's not what - I mean, there's just this - " Harry snorted as he failed in his attempt at explaining his new interest to his best mate. "How about we just leave it at: I'm sure." 

They tapped their glasses together in a mock toast, and Harry finished the last few drops in his cup. 

"Then what's stopping you from just going for it?" Ron prompted. 

"I…" Harry hesitated. "…don't know, really."

"So you haven't really had this before, but you like what you're doing… And you don't know why you shouldn't just go for it? I mean honestly, I don't understand the problem. If it feels alright, then you should just go for it."

"Are you sure you're alright with this? I mean, he wasn't exactly the best person to you or your family." Harry knew he sounded like he was making excuses, but it felt wrong to jump into something with Draco if Ron wasn't on board. 

"Oi! Are you really that thick? Bloody hell. It's not as we haven't known you were interested in him since forever." 

Harry gaped at Ron. 

"I - You - " Harry stalled, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. 

"I mean really, Harry, was there ever actually a need to shout at each other across the Great Hall, unless you just wanted each other's full attention? Go and prove why you belong in Gryffindor, mate... Just, promise you won't tell me anything about it after." Ron grinned, shaking his head. 

Harry couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of him, and with it came the feeling of calm. All at once Harry knew what he wanted, and what he had to do. Placing his mug back down on the table, he pulled away from the table and stood.

"I have to go. There's something I need to take care of."

"Yeah, yeah. Just remember: I don't want to know the details." Ron rolled his eyes and waved Harry off.

_____

Thunder cracked just outside Draco's bedroom window, a parallel to his brooding thoughts. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, matching the dark mood Draco could feel down to his toes. He'd not heard from Harry yet today, and it was getting close to late afternoon, which meant the likelihood of Harry actually seeking him out was dwindling fast. He took to pacing from one end of his room, to the other - alternating between writing notes in his work journal, and casting spells over the self-stirring cauldron.

He'd been so focused on avoiding lingering thoughts that Harry's sudden voice startled him.

**++ Where are you? ++**

_// At the Manor. //_

**++ Are you going to let me in? ++**

Draco blinked and glanced out the window, barely making out Harry's form at the gate. In an instant, he Apparated just inside the gate. He could feel a drop or two of rain caress the back of his neck. Harry stood on the other side of the gate with a telling grin. Draco tried to tamp down his own excitement. 

_// So? //_

Harry rolled his eyes, but his face was a bright light shining through the greyscale skies. 

**++ Really? That's how you're gonna start this? ++**

Draco shrugged, leaning his front into the gate.

_// Is it so wrong that I want an actual answer before I let you through? //_

Harry took a firm step forward, mimicking Draco by leaning his body into the gate, hands reaching up to grasp at the wrought iron. It felt like the very air was inhaling with the profundity of this moment. They'd already kissed once before, so why would the second time be any different? 

**++ It's not wrong. I just… ++** Harry let his head drop slightly, breathless with want and a new shyness settling in his belly. **++ Yes. ++**

 _// Yes to what? //_

Drip. 

Drip. Drip. 

Harry looked up, expression open and earnest, made even more so with the raindrops on his face. 

**++ Yes, I want to try… us. I don't know what to call it, or even if we should call it anything yet. But I do know that you make me feel good. And I like feeling that way. ++**

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

Harry's lips twitched into a shy smile. "And I know right now I really just want to kiss you." 

Draco waited a beat, before he couldn't hold his own smile back any longer. He waved his hand towards the gate, vanishing it with a single motion. Another beat. And like the crashing of waves, the sun setting and the moon rising, like the inevitability of life and death itself, they took that first step towards each other. The feeling that the universe was sealing their fates in this moment, or that everything leading up to this very moment was fated or so meant to be, was ubiquitous. 

_Whoosh._

Just as the swelling of the earth reached its crescendo with a crack of lighting and thunder, and the skies opened: they reached out, grabbing fists full of clothing pulling each other so close there was no room for anything else. Their lips smashed together with eager desperation. Draco groaned against Harry's mouth, understanding just how wrong he'd been in thinking that this wouldn't be different, and that this kiss wasn't far more significant in terms of feelings. Both their heads were buzzing, but also strangely fuzzy as if neither of them could latch onto a thought. 

With a gathering of magical energy he didn't know he had, Draco pulled Harry through the wards and Apparated them directly into his room. They were both soaked from head-to-toe, but Draco managed to get Harry naked in twenty seconds flat, tossing aside the sopping fabric in a pile soon joined by his own jumper. They kissed through all of it, fumbling about with eager hands seeking more skin to touch. Harry's beard tickled his nose and lips, and Draco could smell the smokey-wood scent of oil Harry had massaged into it. Draco slowed the kiss enough pull away and press a trail with his lips starting at the edge of Harry's own lips, along his jawline, down his throat, and eventually over to his neck and shoulders. In all that time, Draco's hands reached up to run over Harry's scalp, then down the back of his neck, and finally down Harry's back. 

His lips continued their path down Harry's body, kissing over rounded shoulders and muscled stomach. Time seemed to slow just as Draco's tongue did, delving into soft hollows and teeth grazing over his muscled belly. There was a darker patch of hair that trailed from just under Harry's navel, thickening out further down. Draco followed the path with eager lips and a nuzzling nose. Every ounce of Harry surrounded him and it was beyond heavenly. It was more than he'd ever dreamed of, and the very thought that this was something they were actually doing stuck like thick molasses to his chest. Their thoughts settled but somehow mingled, like the swelling before a gentle storm, as if their connection had been waiting for exactly this. 

Finally Draco settled on his knees, one hand grasping Harry by the hip, and the other sliding down his stomach to settle on the thick erection twitching in Draco's face. His lips pressed to the reddened head, pressing tiny kisses against the heated skin. At first taste, Draco hummed, savouring the salty flavour that was completely Harry. He could hear Harry huffing above him, and felt his hands clenching at his sides, as if Harry was completely unsure what to do with them. 

_// You can run them through my hair…if you want. //_ Draco flicked his eyes up, at the same time he slipped the full head between his lips and sucked. Harry's head tilted back on a groan. He thrust his hands into Draco's hair, threading his fingers through the silken locks and grasping firmly. 

**++ Fuck, Draco… That feels… ++** He couldn't even finish the thought, turning instead into a puddle of mush as Draco slowly took inch by inch into his wet mouth. Saliva eased the way, until the tip of Draco's nose nuzzled into the furry thatch of hair that surrounded Harry's cock. 

Pulling back just enough to take in some air, Draco delved in again and again, taking in as much as he could and adjusting his speed to accommodate the slow throat-fucking. His own cock, which had been hard as a rock since the moment their lips touched at the gates, gave a hearty twitch when Harry let out a low, throaty moan. 

_// Harry, I want to fuck you… //_

Harry's thoughts were a jumbled mess, but enthusiastic consent rang out among them. Pulling back, Draco maneuvered to a stand, kissing a trail back up Harry's body until eventually he was kissing Harry's hand. Light pecks across each knuckle, then each fingertip was given the same tenderness. Harry's eyes opened half-way, full of lust and desperate need, and Draco was once again overwhelmed by how stunning Harry was. Yanking him by the hand, Draco pulled Harry against him and plundered his mouth once more, sliding tongue against tongue, and hands sliding under Harry's thighs. 

Draco maneuvered their bodies until the back of Harry's legs hit the bed, causing him to stumble back. They lifted themselves until they were in the center, still kissing with slow deliberation, hands tangling together in the sheets, and erections brushing against one another teasingly. 

_// Gonna...spell. //_ Draco could barely think, which was so surprising considering how much he prided himself on his control. Harry only nodded against his mouth, spreading his legs enough for Draco to slip between. For someone so inexperienced, Harry was such a natural, and yet it wasn't that surprising...this was Harry, after all. The spell was whispered, wandlessly, slicking up Harry's insides and stretching him just enough. He kept their entwined hands pinned above Harry's head, and shifted one of Harry's legs over his shoulder. The angle would make it easier, and Draco wandlessly summoned a pillow for under Harry's hips as well.

He teased himself against Harry's tightly puckered entrance, and had to close his eyes before sliding in. It was almost too tight, even after the spell had stretched him. Once the head was in, it took some work to thrust slowly in and out until he was fully seated inside Harry. He let out a soft sigh, and slowly opened his eyes to see Harry panting below him. 

"Ready?" Draco asked breathlessly. It was hard not to just use their connection, but he desperately wanted to hear Harry's wrecked voice right now. With a glimmer of something passionate in his eyes, Harry arched his back enough to shift his hips temptingly. Draco released Harry's other hand then, grasping at his hips instead.

"Fuck me." The rough, sultry timber of Harry's voice sent Draco's mind into a tizzy.

It was enough that Draco started pulling out and slowly pushing back in without realizing it. The pace was slow at first, but picked up quickly as they lost themselves in the pleasure of it all. The room filled with the sounds of flesh smacking against flesh, the bed frame creaking and knocking against the wall, and their rising moans. Draco arched his body over Harry, pressing Harry's thigh into his stomach and thanking Merlin the Gryffindor was flexible as fuck. He shifted one of his hands into a clenched fist on the bed, using this position to thrust himself in deeper and faster. The other hand wrapped around Harry's leaking cock, stroking it a little bit faster than each of their thrusts, until Harry's moans turned into heavy grunts accentuated with heady whimpers. 

**++ M-more… P-lease more… ++**

"So good, Harry. Such a good boy," Draco groaned, biting down hard on his lip. Harry was heaven, blissfully so. Every inch of him perfection, and while it was typically the submissive who indulged in worship-play, Draco could see him being the kind of Dominant who just pampered the fuck out of his submissive. Harry deserved it. 

"Need you. So fucking much, Harry." Draco placed kisses along Harry's jaw as he fucked into him desperately. 

"Close, Draco," Harry moaned as his back arched up into each thrust. "Please, I need to…" His body thrashed below Draco's. 

"Yes, Harry. Come for me. Anything you want, Harry." _// It's yours. //_

One, two more rough tugs on his cock and Harry came with a strangled cry, body arching and twitching as if overloading on pleasure. Their minds didn't sync as hard as it did the first time - perhaps they weren't as mentally connected this time - but any other thoughts fled him as he too reached his climax with a rough shout, and emptied himself deep inside Harry. 

Draco collapsed beside Harry, twitching with little whimpers as he pulled out his over-sensitive cock. Harry panted beside him, slowly losing consciousness. Draco's mark itched as some feeling welled deep inside of him, along with the singular thought that he wished he could spend the rest of his life just laying here, taking care of Harry's every need and want. Giving him everything he could ever want. The image of the frightened little boy in a cupboard under the stairs came to him then, and Draco knew he would do everything in his power to make up for everything that had happened in Harry's past. He wrapped one arm around Harry's middle as he wondered. Was this the bond pushing them closer? Or was this love…? It was just as he was falling asleep that Draco had one last thought. This was the first time he'd ever done something so completely vanilla, and yet it felt more right than anything ever had in his life.


	11. Chapter 11

The rain hadn't let up for most of the night, and neither had Harry on Draco. It was like a sexual awakening in Harry's soul, and a definite understanding that his past experiences were nothing compared to this. As the rising sun began its slow climb through the sky, Harry found himself waking. He opened his eyes and looked around without really moving. They were still in Draco's bed, even though they'd fucked in several different places since that first time. Harry hesitated using the word 'fuck' considering how reverent Draco had been with each encounter. It was such a strange dynamic considering he'd expected a much harsher attitude from someone who considered themselves a Dom. 

_// Oh I can assure you, I will show you exactly the kind of Dom I can be. //_ Draco's sleep fogged thoughts drifted through his mind. Harry turned his head to the side to look at Draco, who was still had an arm wrapped around Harry's stomach, as if Harry was the anchor keeping him grounded. 

_// I see we are rather poetic after getting buggered. //_ Draco snorted, but his eyes twinkled with genuine amusement. 

Harry didn't mince around with words, feeling a tenderness inside his chest that he couldn't quite explain. Instead he turned on his side to match Draco, shuffling close enough that their noses touched, and brought his hand up to Draco's cheek, caressing him with gentle strokes of his thumb. After a beat, Draco pressed his lips to Harry's, kissing him with unhurried softness, as if literally nothing else in the world mattered in this moment. Draco ran his hands down Harry's chest, and down his back until he was clutching firm cheeks. 

_// Want you to ride me. //_

Harry hummed into the kiss. 

**++ Isn't being on top the whole point of being a Dom? ++**

Draco smirked and shifted Harry so that he was laying firmly atop Draco. 

_// Oh the things I have yet to teach you… //_ He pulled away from the kiss, reaching over for his wand in order to summon a small strip of black material and something that looked like rope. He slipped it over Harry's eyes, and everything went dark. Harry felt slightly disoriented, and felt Draco help him to sit up in his lap. As they moved, Harry could feel his hands being pressed behind his back, bound together by the rope. Draco tugged twice to ensure the knot was secure, then leaned up to kiss Harry on the nose. 

_// Comfy? //_

Harry rolled his wrists, then shifted his body a bit before losing his balance. 

**++ Crap. How am I supposed to do anything like this? ++**

He could hear Draco's throaty chuckle, and it did strange things to his insides. 

_// You play Quidditch… Just pretend you're running handless drills, and I'm your broomstick. //_

Harry could picture the smirk plastered across Draco's lips, but rather than getting pissed off, his cock gave an interested twitch. Feeling Draco's hands reach underneath him, he felt that spell slick him up with a warm tingle, then the press of Draco's cock as it slipped into him easier than the first few times. It still burned as he was stretched open, but there was the sensation of being filled so completely that overrode everything else. It was that feeling that Harry chased as he sank down, taking in every last inch of Draco inside of him. 

He felt Draco lay back and press his palms over Harry's stomach, gently stroking, pinching and scratching. 

_// When you get close, I want you to hold off until I tell you. //_

Using just his knees and the strength of his thighs, Harry started slow and shaky, raising himself up enough to slip Draco out part-way, then slid back down again until he felt his cheeks press against Draco's thighs. Harry was starting to understand what Draco had meant about this position, however, having wrongly assumed the power-play would be reversed. He'd never felt so openly vulnerable, so completely trusting.

As he lowered himself once more, something felt strange. He pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. 

_// What's wrong? //_

**++ There's…something. I don't - it feels strange when I move like…this. ++**

Harry accentuated his point by shifting in the same position again. The same feeling happened once more, and he sent the feeling through their connection, hoping Draco knew what was happening. Draco made a soft amused noise and bucked his hips up in search of…something. 

_// That, my dear Harry, is your prostate. Your g-spot. //_

**++ Well shit… I always thought it was like… some kinda insta-magic button or something. ++**

Draco genuinely laughed again, and the sound filled Harry's soul. Harry shifted and found that rolling his hips into Draco, groaning as their bodies came together over and over, but it must have been too slow for Draco, who grasped Harry by the hips and began plunged into him so fast that Harry had to clench his thighs hard in order to stay upright. It was a workout and a half, his mouth was open and panting, loud groans filling the air indicating his pleasure. He could hear Draco huffing in his ear, tingling the sensitive spots on his neck, and while everything felt amazing, there was an edge to it with his sight and ability to touch taken away. He could deal with his hands being tied, but the closer Harry thought he was to the edge, the further away it seemed. 

**++ Ngh, I… I need… ++** There was something uneasy crawling in his stomach, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He sent that feeling through the connection. Draco stopped immediately, a rush of feelings buzzed around their thoughts for a second before Draco whipped off the blindfold and undid the ropes. 

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I should have…ugh." Draco scrubbed his face, as his cock softened inside of Harry. He made quick work of slipping out and rubbing Harry's wrists, though Harry just sat there with a mix of emotions and a semi-hard cock. Draco sighed and continued. 

"I should have explained better, before just jumping in. Normally there's kink negotiation, and that's where we find out all the things you're into and okay with. And of course, since you're new, that might also mean a bit of experimentation. But the worst part was that I didn't even give you a safeword!" 

Harry blinked, still processing everything. "Safeword?"

Draco sat back in the bed, cross-legged, once satisfied that Harry had feeling in his arms again. 

"The word you use when you need me to stop right away. I stop, get you safe again, and then some people skip this part, but I for one usually prefer to talk about what caused you to safeword. I usually also stick to the light system, you know, red, yellow, green." 

Harry nodded, and curled on his side. He'd gone completely soft, and any traces of arousal were gone. Not that talking about kinks and safe-words had turned him off, but after the last dregs of mini panic still fading, Harry didn't feel very sexual. Draco tilted his head as he spotted something on Harry's thigh. 

_// Is that…? Impossible! //_

Draco grabbed Harry's leg and brought it closer, forcing Harry to flop over uncomfortably. 

"ARGH!" Harry shouted, face mashed into a pillow. He pushed himself up on his elbows to look back at the blond. "What the shit are you doing?" 

_// Something here… //_

Draco trailed his fingers over something dark marking up Harry's thigh. Harry leaned over as much as he could, trying to get a glance at whatever it was. It hadn't been there earlier.

 _// The Malfoy family crest. //_

Draco's thoughts were filled with equal parts shock, awe, distress, and reverence. Harry let it sink in for a moment, until a thought occurred to him. 

**++ It matches the one on your chest. ++**

Draco blinked, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Slipping out of the bed, Draco sauntered over to the mirror above his dresser and let his hands trail over the crest. 

_// I wonder… //_

Harry watched as Draco, chasing a thought that was moving a mile-a-minute, darted to the bookcase. He grabbed one old, musty-looking book by the spine.

 _// Huh. It's the Peverell family crest. //_ Draco looked utterly perplexed, leaving Harry extremely amused.

He rolled on his stomach, resting his chin against his crossed arms, shivering slightly as the sheet that had been covering him slid down to his lower waist. 

**++ You really don't like not having all the answers, do you? ++**

Leave it to him to find the perfect partner, only for him to turn out just like one of his best friends. Draco didn't answer with anything other than a grumble, while he continued to thumb through the book. 

_// I just… If it relates to the curse, bond, whatever - shouldn't it be the Potter family crest? //_

**++ Technically the Potters are descended from Ignotus Peverell. ++**

The book fell to the ground with a clatter, shock reading clear across Draco's face.

"You're descended from the owners of the Deathly Hallows?!" 

"Apparently." Harry chuckled and watched as Draco ambled back to bed. 

"Would it sound completely tactless and perhaps a little... Malfoy-ish to say that kinda turns me on?" 

Harry snorted, rolling on his back to accommodate for Draco's body taking up space beside him. This also made it easier for him to reach out and pull Draco down beside him. 

"What, that I'm related to the Peverells? That's a weird thing to be turned on by…" Harry mouthed cheekily against Draco's shoulder. "Like, I kinda figured you'd have some weird thing you might be into, but I would have guessed maybe lingerie, or something to do with peacock feathers, or I don't know… I don't really know a lot of kinky things I guess. Maybe feet?" 

Draco swatted Harry's thigh. "Cheeky git. First of all, none of those things are really all that weird. I'm sure I could put you off with the kinds of things some people have told me they were into." Draco grinned at Harry, laying his head back on his arms.

"But being into my lineage isn't weird at all?"

"Don't kink-shame me, Harry." Draco could barely keep a straight face. 

"Is it Grandaddy issues?" Harry narrowed his eyes seriously.

Draco lost it, clutching his stomach with the full belly laughs bubbling out of him. Tears streamed out from the corners of his eyes. 

"I - Grandaddy! HA!" Draco wheezed, which sent Harry into a full-blown laughter. They looked ridiculous, rolling around in the massive bed, their naked bodies tangled in the sheets. 

When they finally calmed, Draco stretched an arm around Harry's back, pulling him closer to his side. 

"It's not that the idea of your grandparents turns me on… It's - complicated. You know my family, you know the way that they were trying to raise me, and with that come duty and responsibility to the line." Draco commented bitterly. "They made sure I knew the remaining descendents of the Sacred Twenty-Eight by name. Their primary goal for me was a well-matched marriage… Someone whose family had influence, power, or at the least a long and traceable lineage."

Harry stayed quiet while Draco spoke about his upbringing, something which he could only assume was difficult to talk about. 

"So you can see why the idea of your family line going back so far, and to such… renowned subjects, is so appealing to me. It's just been so ingrained in me, that I don't even notice until something like this comes up."

"Have you thought much about…you know, settling down? Marriage, kids, that sort of thing?"

Draco's fingers tickled back and forth over Harry's back while they spoke, and Harry's hands trailed over Draco's stomach, fingertips tracing the lines of his old _Sectumsempra_ scars. 

"Once." Draco stared at the ceiling, as he thought back a couple years. "In our year there was a girl named Daphne Greengrass. She had a younger sister - lovely girl, mind you."

"I thought you were gay?" Harry sat up, placing his chin on Draco's chest, eagerly absorbing any information about his life that Draco was willing to share. 

"I go both ways. Blaise always used to say that I could charm a snake into bed with me, if only it had legs." Draco rolled his eyes, and continued. "Astoria was…uniquely charming. Probably the only person I would have considered settling down with, or at the least the only person I had considered starting a family with."

"What happened?" Harry found himself completely enthralled.

"She fell in love."

"I mean, isn't that kind of the point?"

"Not with me." Draco smiled, but it seemed a little bitter. "She met someone from Beauxbatons when she travelled abroad. They got eloped and she was pregnant within the month."

"I'm sorry, Draco," Harry responded, not knowing what to say. Draco looked at Harry, then leaned up just enough to place a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead. 

"Don't be. It's all in the past now."

"Yeah, but… Between her and Blaise, you haven't really had much luck when it comes to love." 

"Tch'. Wasn't ever really love. I know that now."

"And yet you still seem so angry at Blaise." Harry recalled their conversation after one of Draco's nightmares, Harry had pressed for more on what happened between him and Blaise. At the time he thought he was merely curious, but now he was starting to wonder if it had come from a place of jealousy. 

"Blaise-. It's complicated with him."

"You say that a lot. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am." Harry spat, sitting up thoroughly annoyed. 

Draco sat up with Harry, automatically reaching for one of Harry's hands. He pressed his lips to the knuckles, holding the hand in both of his own. 

_// I didn't mean to imply that you were. I know for a fact that you're quite intelligent. //_

Harry exhaled. 

**++ So tell me what happened. ++**

_// You're very demanding for a sub. //_

**++ You're being avoidant and I don't like it. You're hiding something. Didn't you say we need open communication? ++**

Draco conceded. 

_// You're right, of course. It's just…hard to talk about, I suppose. //_

**++ So why don't you just show me then? ++**

Draco took a moment, then Harry's mind was filled with images and scenes, that for a moment it almost felt like he was in a pensieve.

_____

_A much younger Draco, third and fourth year, discovering his wandering eye followed not just women, but men as well. He and Blaise making a competition on how many people they could seduce by the end of year. Blaise winning that competition by a landslide when the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegates stayed in the castle. Draco realizing the only reason he was upset about losing the competition was because he too wanted to sleep with Blaise._

_Spending fifth year alternating between realizing his hate for Harry might be hiding something more, and desperate attempts at seducing Blaise._

_Blaise visiting that summer, only once, as he and his mother had been invited for a formal meeting with the Malfoys. The Dark Lord orchestrating the whole thing from behind the scenes, reaching out to all those sympathetic to his cause before launching his attack. He and Blaise getting drunk and sleeping together. Doing it again in the morning, with Blaise taking the more dominant role._

_Meeting once more before Draco's fate is sealed with a mark. Blaise breaking Draco's heart and pretending it never happened. Blaise telling him - in no uncertain terms - that nothing could happen between them because Blaise didn't feel that way about him._

_Sixth year arriving with another set of responsibilities, and all other plans being set aside to deal with his task, while the fates of his parents rest completely in his hands. Bellatrix still holding the knowledge of his, and Blaise's, tryst secret - using it as blackmail against Draco. He and Blaise barely speaking more than a handful of words together, but enough for Draco to tell Blaise to consider spending some time at his family's country home. Draco focusing on his task, ignoring the little flair inside of him when Harry spends most of his year following Draco around._

_The few times he selfishly found himself hoping that Harry would discover his plot and try stopping him before it was too late. Bitterly hoping Harry could save him, because he was a coward._

_After the war, and after his father's passing, Blaise coming around for a visit. A flair of hope bubbles, swallowing the wound of losing Astoria. But Blaise isn't visiting him. He's there for Narcissa… They're having dinner. It's not till later, when Blaise is leaving, that he finally tells Draco the truth. It was never about him. It was always for Narcissa._

_Draco's world shattering._

_____

Harry waited a beat, overwhelmed and more than a little heartsick. There was only one thing to do. He leaned over, pressing their heads together for a moment, but offered nothing beyond that. Draco wasn't the kind who would take well to pity, and Harry still wasn't sure how to process all of what he'd learned. He looked out the window to see that morning had passed without them noticing. It was almost mid-day and he realized he was hungry. And it wasn't just how long it had been since his last meal, but the amount of sheer physical activity he'd indulged in…

"Come on. I have something that will make us feel a little better." Harry offered a little grin, slipping off the bed and gathering his clothes.

_____

The smell of baking cookies filled the air inside the Burrow. But everyone was outside, playing in the new fallen snow. Overnight the temperature had dropped, causing the rain to turn into a heavy dusting of snow, though it was likely to melt before the end of day under the sunshine.

When they arrived, with Teddy and Andromeda in tow, Ron and Hermione were already there, as was Ginny, who was home for two weeks of holidays before returning to her team in the new year. No one made any mention of Harry and Draco's joined hands as they came tumbling through the Floo. In fact, everyone found themselves quite busy with everything from hugs and greetings, to listening to Teddy's stories. The only tense moment came when Ginny and Draco went to shake hands. Of everyone he was worried about meeting, Draco was the most afraid of Ginny. And for good reason, since Ginny was renown for her hexes. And as Harry's ex, Draco wasn't entirely sure what to expect, and yet he stuck out his hand to shake hers, drawing as much of that dominant energy as he could. Ginny eyed him for a moment, before grinning broadly and shaking his hand. 

"Easy, Malfoy. What's good?" She engaged him, doing her part at making him comfortable. Clearly someone had gotten to her first and let her know what to expect. 

Molly quickly shooed them all outside so she could prepare a meal and chat with Andromeda in some semblance of privacy. Harry had ensured that Teddy was bundled before they'd headed out, knowing that they'd likely get kicked out to the yard. Teddy of course, was enthusiastic about the snow, regardless of how little there was. 

Everyone gathered around him to play, engaging in every activity from snowmen to snow-angels, though the former were no more than a couple inches tall and the later were more like mud-angels. Still, Draco couldn't recall having had more fun than this in such a long time.

_____

Eventually, one-by-one they headed back inside to warm up by the fire, until only Draco and Teddy remained outside. Harry couldn't help the smile on his face as he watched the two trample through the snow, especially when Draco hoisted Teddy onto his shoulders and stomped around like a crazed erumpent. He charmed a kettle to boil, preparing two mugs of hot chocolate. 

Ginny rolled her eyes with a grin, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. 

"Looks like you two are getting along quite well," she teased. 

Harry, startled, didn't know how to answer. 

"Er... I mean, I guess?" 

"Psh. Don't 'I guess' me. I know you better than that." She punched him roughly in the arm.

Harry looked sheepish in response, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 

"I don't know what to tell you, Gin. I mean, it's all still kind of new."

"Okay sure, but you like him." It wasn't a question. 

"Yeah. I really do." 

"I can't say I understand it. But so long as he treats you right, then I'm happy for you." 

Harry's lips twitched in amusement. Ginny had never played the part of spurned lover, or jealous ex, which made her warm approval all the more important to him. She may have been his best mate's little sister, but she was just as much one of his best friends as Hermione or Ron was. 

"So when do you go back?" Harry casually changed the conversation, eyes glancing out the window to see Draco running around the yard with Teddy on his shoulders - arms spread wide like a hippogriff in flight. 

"Sometime in the new year. We're out for the season, but coach wants us back into training as soon as possible."

"Yech. In this weather? That sucks." Harry's attention was drifting to the boys in the snow. His boys. 

Ginny rambled on about needing to train in different playing conditions because they never knew what kind of weather they might hit during away games, and didn't want the other team to have the weather advantage. 

But Harry could barely keep up with the conversation. In fact, after a couple minutes of rambling, and Harry's half answers, Ginny started talking about inane things like grocery lists, or reciting the Quidditch player's handbook, to which Harry simply answered: 'Oh yeah, sounds exciting, Gin' or 'Mhm, amazing.' He didn't even notice when she left. 

As he watched the boys play, Harry couldn't help but think back to the day before. Had it really only been one day? He could still feel the aches in his body, and most especially in his arse, but every pinch of pain felt like it had been worth it. Sure, the blindfold hadn't gone over so well, but he could imagine that there were other things he might be interested in. 

_// Careful with that train of thought, Potter. //_

Draco had placed Teddy on the ground, piercing silver eyes staring right at him. 

**++ I will not hold myself responsible for my wayward thoughts, thank you. ++**

_// Would you rather I hold you accountable, myself? //_

Draco had moved on to chasing after Teddy, though it was clear he was being worn down.

**++ Oh? ++**

Harry wanted to experiment with how far he could push before Draco snapped. He started with recalling their day yesterday, from the first desperate and quick fuck, to the ones in the middle which had been softer, slower, and more like making love than actually fucking. 

_// …Harry. Don't test my patience. //_

But he did. 

He brought up their last scene, but instead of allowing it to play out the way it did, Harry extrapolated a little, and fantasized a bit about where it could have gone instead. He did like the feeling of being bound, and allowed the curious feeling to fabricate a new scene, in which he was intricately bound from shoulder to feet. He'd seen something like it once before in a magazine one of the boys (probably Seamus) had hidden under his bunk back at Hogwarts. 

Draco tripped over himself and fell to the ground, causing Teddy to laugh hysterically. Given the look Draco sent to the window, Harry knew he'd be in for it later. And he couldn't wait. 

In fact he was so impatient to try again, that he spent the entire rest of the day sending Draco mental images much like before. Things he'd be interested in trying, and other things he was hesitant about because they seemed a bit…terrifying. During the whole exchange, Draco seemed to be getting more and more tense.

_____

**++ Oh, so you can dish it out but you can't take it? ++**

Harry grinned, clearly very proud of himself, while they sat around the dinner table. Everyone felt stuffed to the max, but Draco could tell Harry still had room for dessert. It was probably a good time to make their excuses and take Harry back to the manor. He could tell the moment Harry saw the raw burning in his eyes, because there was a distinct **++ Oh. ++** that fluttered through Harry's thoughts, along with a shiver that seemed to run up Harry's spine. 

_// Oh. Indeed. //_

Draco hadn't thought of a single thing aside from the salt and pepper shakers on the table, which only lent to the mystery and danger of what lay ahead for Harry.

_// You still have a choice. I won't make you do something you might not want to do. //_

Harry didn't even stop to think before answering.

**++ I want it. I really want it. ++**

Draco leaned forward on his elbows, placing his chin in one hand with an bored expression. 

_// Good boy, Potter. Alright then, you get us out of here and I'll ensure you get what you want. //_

Harry's back straightened.

"Hey, Molly? Unfortunately we've got to get going, but thank you so much for this amazing meal!" 

"Nooo! Harry!" Teddy whined. 

"Sorry, bud." Harry smiled and leaned over to where Teddy was sitting beside him, and ruffled his hair. "I'll come play with you again soon, okay? Besides, it's almost Christmas. You have to remember to be good, else Father Christmas might not bring you something good!" 

Teddy's eyes widened with panic. 

"I've been good! I've been very good! I promise, just ask Nana!" 

Draco stood, pushing his chair back, and slipping away to grab their coats. His mind raced with all the things he wanted to do to Harry, never focusing on one specifically for fear of Harry discovering his plans too early. In fact, the name of the game today would be playing things fast and loose, seeing where things went and making a scene up on the fly.

_____

The second they stepped through the fireplace in Draco's room, they were on each other. Lips met in devouring kisses, hands ripped clothing off, revealing sections of flesh for touching. Draco growled into their kiss, as his fingers got stuck undoing Harry's trousers. 

_// In here, like this… I call you Potter. You call me 'Sir.' You will not speak unless I've asked you a question, or otherwise permit you to. Any questions will be answered with either 'Yes, Sir' or 'No, Sir.' I expect you to remember your manners, specifically 'please' and 'thank you.' Those are my conditions. Do you consent to submit under my terms? //_

Harry groaned heavily into the kiss, and pulled away just long enough to whisper breathlessly. 

"Yes, Sir." 

Draco made a noise somewhere between a choke and a moan. 

_// Good boy. We will use the colour system as our safety the first few times, because I want to be able to check in you. When I ask you for your colour you will respond with Red to stop, Yellow to slow down, or Green for good to go. Is that clear? //_

**++ Yes, Sir. ++**

Harry was completely naked, but Draco still had his trousers on, though that was done with intention. 

_// On your knees. //_

Harry obeyed the command, falling gracefully to his knees, hands laying still at his sides. His gaze was trained on Draco, waiting for the next command. There was a current running between them, as if the very air was building on their magic, their connection. It ran like electricity over Harry's body, raising the little hairs along his arms.

_// Don't you look gorgeous like this. Completely on display for me. I'd be tempted to sit here and make myself come just from looking at you. //_

Harry must have thought it was a great idea as well, because no sooner had Draco thought it, Harry began to envision being bound on his knees with a cock so hard it was leaking across his thigh, and a gag in his mouth to keep from making noises, all the while Draco sat on the bed stroking his dick with a quick fist. 

_// That's not a bad image, Potter. Quite creative of you. Maybe next time though. For now, I think I need to remind you of why we ended up here in the first place. I know we haven't had a chance to discuss everything, and I promise we will… But for now, how do you feel about impact play? Maybe some sensory play too? //_

Harry's blank expression made him grin. 

_// Spankings, Potter. I want to slap my palms across your deliciously pert rear, and I want you to count out loud as I do it. //_

**++ Oh God. Yes. ++** Harry groaned, closing his eyes on a shiver.

_// I'll forgive you that one because you're still in training. But I want you to control your thoughts better, Potter. //_

Draco kept the grin to himself, knowing how impossible that would be to do. 

"Yes, Sir."

Crossing over to one of his dresser drawers, Draco pulled out a pair of gloves. They were made from dragon hide, and yet as thin as latex. He slipped them on, adjusting the material between each finger, before crossing back to where Harry continued to kneel on the floor. 

_// I want you to get up and stand over by the bed. Put your hands on the footboard and grip tightly. If I see you've let go at any point, I will add more spanks to your tally. Is that clear? //_

Harry gulped audibly, but did as he was commanded, shifting up and walking to the bed, then holding on as hard as he could. Everything up to this point had been a competition, but that's not what this was. Harry couldn't have explained it if he tried, but the idea of being obedient, doing as Draco asked, being completely and utterly good for him, those were all things he desperately wanted right now. Forget rhyme or reason, he just wanted to be the best for Draco.

 _// You_ are _the best, Harry… //_

Draco came over and lightly caressed Harry's cheek with his hand, though he couldn't feel the texture of the beard beneath, he knew by memory how coarse it was. Harry hadn't realized that his thoughts had gone through their connection, but he no longer felt shame for his thoughts, and that made Draco happy. They'd shared so much of themselves, parts that no one else had seen or even knew about, and that made their connection so much more profound. 

He moved to stand behind Harry, eyes taking in every gorgeous inch of Harry's glorious body. His gloved hand trailed a path from Harry's shoulder, down his spine and eventually over the curve of Harry's plump rear. 

_// I think you should get ten in total. Five for your discretions this afternoon, and five for good measure. Then we can see how you go from there. //_

Draco knew Harry could probably take more, but he didn't want to push too hard, too fast. Things seemed to be going well between them, and while they hadn't gotten any further with their research - sex was obviously a priority - Draco wanted to ease Harry in slowly. Harry was brave, that much was clear, but everyone had their limits. 

_// After each one, I would like you to count out the number. It will make it easier for you to stay grounded. Are we clear, Potter? //_

**++ Yes, Sir. ++**

Harry was already being so incredibly good. He was such a natural at submission, and Draco briefly wondered if it was simply to do with having had so much on his shoulders for so long, that not having to be in control for once was rather blissful for him. Leaving the heavy thoughts behind, Draco stood at the left side of Harry's bent body, raised his right hand, and slapped it across Harry's right cheek. The clapping sound resounded through the otherwise quiet room, along with Harry's yelp as his body jumped. Right away, a red imprint of Draco's gloved hand appeared on the soft flesh. 

The sight of it brought about the same feeling Draco had when he'd first seen the Malfoy crest on Harry's body. A surge of possessiveness filled him, knowing that it was his markings that covered Harry. 

_// Potter! //_

"One," Harry managed to grunt out. 

Draco swung his hand down again, this time on the left side, creating a matching mark on the other side. 

"Two..." Harry mumbled, hips surging forward slightly. 

Each smack landed in different places, as Draco did his best to spread them out. Dutifully, Harry continued to count, though his voice had gone rough with need. In fact, Harry had gotten so hard that each blow to his arse caused another dollop of pre-come to drip to the floor. 

_// Circe, look at you, Potter… You are taking this so fucking well. Just one more, alright Potter? Can you take one more for me? Colour? //_

Harry nodded his head, body shaking with need and the intensity of the spankings.

"Green," he mumbled. 

For the last one, Draco didn't bring his hand back as far, but aimed at the junction right between Harry's cheeks. It wasn't as hard a smack, but all the other build up had made this last one sting harder than the others. 

"TEN!" Harry's body jerked hard as he shouted. 

Draco whipped off the gloves and lifted Harry into a stand, pressing their lips together in a soft but extremely sensual kiss. 

_// Gods you did so good for me, Harry. What's your colour? //_

Draco helped lift him onto the bed, belly side down, and kissed over his shoulders. 

**++ Green. ++** Though it was a tired sound. From the feel of their connection, it was almost as if Harry was at the edges of subspace. Yet another thing he hadn't prepared the man for. 

_// Harry, love? Stay with me here a little longer. Can you handle a little more play for me? No spanks. It'll be soft, but sensitive. You might feel overwhelmed by sensation, so it's okay for you to say 'red' if you need to, okay? //_

**++ Yes, Sir. ++**

Harry crossed his arms under his head, resting there until the next wave of sensation passed over him. 

Draco went to his other side-table and pulled out a small crystal jar with a matching rounded stopper. 

_// When I start, you'll have permission to speak. You may find yourself begging and I want you to know that it's okay. //_

Harry nodded but stayed quiet otherwise. 

Un-stoppering the bottle, Draco poured a small trail of the thick oil down Harry's spine and over the reddened cheeks of Harry's arse. Harry's body shivered at the feel, but otherwise remained quiet and still. His fingers massaged the oil in over his back, into his neck and shoulders, over the blades and down to the small of his back. Draco's thumbs pressed in firmly, which pulled a groan from Harry. 

Whispering the spell that activated the oil, Harry would feel the memory of Draco's fingerprints everywhere the oil touched. It would feel like having dozens of hands massaging him at once, and going from pain to that kind of sensation might be an intense shock to the system. Harry moaned and arched his back up. 

_// I wore the gloves specifically for this. I didn't want it to be too intense the first time. But you can imagine the kind of fun we could have with this when we start upping the ante a little… //_

Harry's body shuddered, hips jolting forward into the bed as if easing the pressure built up in his cock. His thoughts were hazy but they circled around the idea of using the oil after Draco spanked him bare-palm. 

_// Exactly, Potter. That's the right idea. //_ Draco had a million more ideas where that came from, of course, but there was always going to be time later for more. For now, he was achingly desperate to be inside Harry. 

He was careful to massage gently over the rosy cheeks, but Harry only moaned and jiggled his hips side to side. Draco smirked. It may not have been as intense a feeling just yet, but as the spell kicked in Harry would once again feel as if his sore arse was being rubbed over by several hands rather than just one pair. 

**++ Ah. Ah! Hurts… ++**

Harry whimpered and shoved his hips back while wiggling them, as if trying to get away from the sensation. 

_// I can stop, Harry, you just need to give me the word… //_

It looked like Harry was trying to weigh the options, but his need for climax won out as he settled back into the mattress. 

"More… Please, Sir…?" 

Harry's lustful gaze turned back to him, though it was a little glazed as if once more he teetered on the edge of subspace. Shifting to kneel between Harry's legs, Draco slicked himself up and used another spell to lubricate Harry internally, before taking his cock in hand and pressing the head past the tight ring. 

Draco groaned at the feel, still completely unable to believe how indescribably good it felt to be inside Harry. He could understand how people often confessed their feelings at a time like this, albeit accidentally, because looking down at the man spread out below him - body trembling with need - Draco couldn't imagine giving this up. 

Unlike the first few times, Draco barely gave Harry time to adjust before slamming deep inside of him again. Each thrust forward gave Harry's cheeks new sensations, but they were dulled as Harry's hips flexed into the softness of the sheets and mattress, adding extra sensation to his neglected dick. 

Harry's body opened to him as if he were a summer blossom blooming under the sky and Draco was his sun. But then the thought came to him that perhaps he was more like the moon, and Harry was the howling wolf baying to him in need. It took a second for Draco to realize that was Harry's thoughts responding to him on a less than coherent level, and yet so poignantly poetic. 

The chaotic frenzy with which he fucked Harry could have been minutes or hours for how little time made sense to him. Their minds blended together, pulling Draco into the hazy feel of Harry's subspace, but the building feeling in the pit of his stomach anchored him to this side of consciousness. He was close, and was brought further to the edge as he felt Harry scrambling over the bed while desperately rutting into the bedsheets in search of any kind of friction on his painfully aching cock. 

**++ Please! I need - Draco, I - Fuuuck… ++** Harry was barely there, but the fact that he was able to remember to ask for permission was enough to send Draco over that edge, shouting out for Harry while emptying himself deep inside of his lush Gryffindor. 

"Ah, FUCK! Yes, fuck, Harry. Such a fucking good boy for me. Fuuuuck!" 

The second his cock stopped twitching, Draco slipped out and flipped Harry on his back, shoving the nearly purpled thickness into his mouth. He devoured as much of it as he could, using his hand to stroke over the rest. 

**++ Oh! Oh God! Please, I need it! Please let me come, Sir… //**

_// Come. I want you to come for me, Potter. //_

It was as if his body was tied in to Draco's explicit commands, as it arched beautifully, his hips thrusting as much as they could towards Draco's mouth, and hands grasping at the silken sheets; all the while, Harry's head was thrown back to scream out his pleasure as he shot rivers of come down Draco's throat. Screams turned to gasps mixed with raspy attempts at Draco's name. 

As Harry's conscious drifted once more, having reached the highest of highs, Draco slipped out of bed and put everything back in its place. He snagged a cloth from the bathroom and ran it under some warm water, then brought it back to wipe Harry down as much as he could. Tomorrow he'd have to open some windows, maybe air the room out a bit considering it reeked of sex… Then again, Draco had never felt more intoxicated. Come morning they'd both need a shower, but for now he just wanted to wrap his arms around Harry and lose himself to shared warmth and pleasant dreams.


	12. Chapter 12

The next two days passed in a glorious haze of fucking and talking. Draco tried to absorb every word Harry chose to share with him, relishing in the history that he willingly gave rather than the glimpses Draco had spied through their shared dreams and thoughts. He spent each moment pampering every inch of Harry, the way he felt the other man truly deserved to be. When they weren't fucking, Draco was constantly touching Harry: massages, light caresses, or just keeping his arms wound tight around Harry's bulkier frame. And with each scene they mashed together in two days, Harry continued to surprise Draco with his willingness and curiosity.

Harry, on the other hand, felt like a child with a new toy. His sexual history simply paled by comparison, and for a brief moment he wondered if he'd been slipped some kind of lust potion. The more logical part of his mind, however, figured it was his suppressed libido finally catching up to him. It had only been a couple days and yet Harry felt like they'd been at this for years… There were times when Draco would just know what he needed and was there to provide it without a second thought. No one else in his life had ever done that for him, though they did their best. But there was something in the way that Draco took care of him… Cared _for_ him…

Every time Draco held him, Harry could feel his heart pounding solidly in his chest. Harry had known a lot of love in his life, but most of it had either been parental love, or sibling love. The closest he'd been to romantic love had been with Ginny, and even that had shifted over time. And now, even as Draco held him in a tight embrace and pulled Harry's head back to kiss his forehead, Harry suddenly understood how very different his love for Ginny was. His whole body stilled with the realization, hoping he'd managed to keep his thoughts filtered from Draco for the time being. He was enjoying this moment too much to potentially ruin it with mushy proclamations.

The more he learned about submission, the more he readily gave in and allowed Draco to take control. Part of it was the ease of knowing he didn't have to be responsible for anything, but the other part - the part so lucrative he'd almost missed it the first few times - was how pleasurable his submission was to Draco. How, by simply obeying a command, or remembering his manners, Draco would get so incredibly turned on. (Which usually turned into either a reward for Harry, or at the least gratuitous praises)

When Christmas Eve finally rolled around, they'd agreed to head over to the Burrow for supper. They hadn't made any breakthroughs research-wise, and had decided it could wait till at least after Christmas… The longer they let it go on, however, the more they worried that Hermione was right and they'd become too dependant on the bond. On the other hand, they were each secretly worried that separating from the bond would dramatically affect their feelings for each other. What if they ended up hating each other again on the other side?

As he slowly dressed, Draco told Harry to wait by the bed and remain naked.

"What, why?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Draco responded distractedly, still searching through one of his drawers.

"Well...yes. That's kind of why I asked, prat."

Draco chuckled and, after acquiring whatever it was he'd been searching for, wandered back over to the bed, hands hidden behind his back.

"I know we've done a fair amount, and I know you're always curious for more…"

"You know that worries me when you word things like that…" Harry raised his brow, reminding Draco briefly of the way Hermione would look at her two Gryffindors.

"Oh hush. You'll like this. I promise. And if you don't… You know how to make it stop." Draco slipped to one knee, placing something small and round on the bed, while his hands travelled up Harry's thighs. "Can I…?"

Harry sighed, rolling his eyes over-dramatically. "Fine."

"Saucy minx." Draco grinned and leaned in to bite Harry's thigh firmly. When Harry winced, Draco tapped his legs gently to have Harry spread them. Leaning over the bed, Draco grabbed the item he'd placed on the bed.

"This is going to go inside you." Draco grinned, and showed Harry the little bean shaped item. It was no bigger than two of Draco's fingers in width, and his thumb in length. "And it's going to stay inside you at dinner. Understood, Potter?" Draco raised his brow at the sign that their play had begun. It would be the first time they continued outside the bedroom, however, which made Harry a little wary.

"Don't worry too much, Harry…" Draco murmured against his thigh, as he slipped the bean inside of Harry, who was still stretched and fairly slick from their last encounter. He'd whisper another lubrication spell later, just to ensure the path stayed smooth. "The rules will be a lot more lax while we are out, since I know you don't exactly want to bring everyone into our bedroom…" Harry's chest clenched at the usage of 'our' but pushed the feeling away until he could process it later. The feeling inside of him was different. It wasn't like having Draco's cock inside of him, wasn't as filling, which was playful on its own. Knowing that he was on the wrong side of being just full made him needy for more, and caused him to sport a partial already. God his body was already so well trained and attuned to Draco's.

"So, what? I still have to call you 'Sir' or something out loud? Because I'll tell you right now that's a limit for me."

"No, Harry. Nothing so crass. Though I did consider 'Daddy' for a brief moment."

Harry choked and swatted Draco on the arm.

"You know what I meant."

"No, no. We won't use titles or anything like that. I wouldn't make you do that in a setting where you aren't comfortable. No, we'll stick to some basic rules. Any commands I give you will be through our connection, so only you will know. If you don't," Draco paused for a moment, thinking about an appropriate punishment. "I'll add another spank to your tally. How does that sound?"

"I…" Harry gulped. This might end up being a long night. "Yes, Sir."

Below, Draco moaned softly and kissed the inside of Harry's thighs.

"Such a good boy for me. I'm so proud of you, Potter… You've taken to this so naturally."

Harry shifted side to side, the little bean inside of him rubbing against his prostate in a way that made him realize just how long a game Draco was planning to play.

**++ Fuck. ++**

Draco chuckled against Harry's leg.

_// I can assure you, we will. If you're good, that is. //_

Draco stood and tossed Harry his pants and trousers.

"Better finish getting ready or else we'll be late."

_____

The smell of wonderful things baking was the first thing anyone would take in, upon entering the Burrow on Christmas Eve. The dulcet sounds of wizarding versions of Christmas songs filled the air, while every square inch of the house was decorated with boughs of holly, wreaths of pine, and twinkling lights - Harry suspected they were fairy lights.

Harry's heart felt light and so full as he realized, not only was he home, but he was home with the people he loved. And that included Draco. Because somehow, in less than two months, the Slytherin had burrowed a place for himself in Harry's heart, and refused to leave. The only thing that worried him now, was how real these feelings were, and how much could be attributed to the bond.

"Hi, Harry!" Hermione's voice came from around the corner, which the two men quickly rounded to see the family gathered around the tree. Arthur was using a Muggle ladder to place the star atop the tree. Ron had his arm around Hermione's waist, snuggled close together to enjoy the rustic beauty of their family's traditions. Ginny was stretched out on one of the couches, shoving her foot in George's face, who in turn grabbed it and refused to give it back. They looked up and gave a little wave, George still a little wary about having a Malfoy in the house, but clearly didn't want to start something on Christmas Eve. Percy and his wife had been by earlier on in the day, but had to get going to her family's Christmas celebrations. Bill and Fleur were due to arrive on Christmas Day, as things were a little too hectic on the Eve with two little ones.

"Hiya, 'Mione. Arthur, need a hand?" Harry grinned.

"No. No, Harry. All is well here. Just enjoy yourself. I think Molly has some drinks ready in the kitchen actually."

"Ah. Good. I should probably go say hi to her anyways."

Harry would have left Draco in the living room, but their hands had found themselves wound together, meaning Draco wasn't letting go anytime soon. It was actually pretty sweet, when Harry thought about it, that Draco would be willing to let people know about them in so casual a move, just so that he could gain comfort from Harry's touch.

"Molly?" Harry peaked his head around the kitchen doorway, smiling as the smell of cooking and baking were stronger in here.

"Yes, Harry! I'm right in here, love!" Molly waved a mitten covered hand from where she was bent over the oven, pulling out what appeared to be the juiciest, most plump turkey Harry had ever seen. Every inch of counter was covered in prepared sides, such as: mounds of potatoes, rivers of gravy, bowls filled with stuffing, and so many vegetables that they almost overflowed the plate.

Everything looked incredible.

"I just wanted to come in and say hi! See if there was anything I could - sorry, we could help you with." Harry chuckled as Draco nodded along with him, clearly still trying to stay in Molly's good books.

"Oh boys. Honestly! There's no need for that kind of fuss. All is done already. Just go have a sit while Arthur finishes with the tree."

She smiled kindly at them, eyes twinkling when she spotted their joined hands.

Making their way back to the sitting room, Draco leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to Harry's cheek. Startled, Harry blinked up at the blond.

"What was that about?"

Draco smiled fondly and pointed up, where a sprig of mistletoe had appeared. Harry smiled in spite of himself as well, not having taken Draco for a romantic, and pulled Draco in for a real kiss. His body shifted, reminding him of the little thumb-sized bean lodged inside of him, causing him to bite back a moan. Their lips brushed together softly, a growing tenderness warming their bodies as well as their souls. Harry knew then that he would have to tell Draco about his feelings, especially when the truth felt so close to the surface now. Just as he pulled back to whisper those three little words, the sound of a clearing throat pulled them apart.

"Charlie!" Harry spluttered.

"Did someone say Charlie?" someone shouted from the sitting room.

"Charlie? Who said something about Charlie?" Molly's voice rang from the kitchen, and out she popped, still sporting her apron covered in flour. "CHARLIE! MY BABY!" Molly cried, rushing forward to wrap her arms around the son she rarely got to see.

"Baby?! What about us then? Chopped liver, aren't we?" George shouted from the living room, to the assent of Ginny and Ron. But for all the snark, everyone was happy to share in the joy of a returned brother.

Harry grinned as he was enveloped into a tight warm hug by Charlie, before losing him to the rest of the family. He stepped back into Draco's waiting arms, smiling as his family enjoyed this Christmas surprise.

_// He's the…second oldest, correct? The one with the dragons? //_

**++ Normally he's in Romania, but I guess he managed to squeeze in some time off. ++**

_// He seems… Affectionate. //_

Harry looked up to see Draco's eyes narrow a fraction.

**++ Jealous? ++**

Draco sniffed and changed the topic, moving them to the now empty sofa in the sitting room. Draco sat first, back pressed into corner between the couch's back and arm. He left enough room at his side for Harry to squeeze into, and his arm draped across the back as a casual way to wrap his arm over Harry's shoulders. As the family wandered back in, a few eyes took in the sight, but otherwise no one said a thing. The lack of reactions were only strange to Draco, as Harry was used to his family simply accepting who he was. There may have been some hesitation in his choice of partner, which was why they hadn't shared the details of their current bond - lest anyone assume the worst of Draco - but they were content in the understanding that Harry was a smart boy and could make his own choices.

But Draco couldn't help spending the evening feeling like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And when it did, it wasn't the shoe he was expecting.

"Here! You need more veggies on your plate, dear." Molly fussed over Draco, serving what felt like the entire plate of carrots onto his plate.

"Thank you." He nodded graciously, tucking in with the intention of eating every bite. It smelled incredible, and he complimented her on the incredible feast before them.

"Oh pish posh. It's all part of Christmas. Can't have a holiday without a full belly, now can you?" She patted his hand kindly. "Still, I think it's me who should be thanking you. Harry's never looked happier."

Draco felt a bit of a blush creeping over his cheeks, and as he looked over at Harry - who was deep in conversation with George and Charlie - he could see it too. Harry absolutely looked happy.

"I can't really say that's all me though, as much as I'd like to. I think just being here with your family is part of what - "

"Draco, dear… I've seen Harry in his darkest moments, and I've seen him in his happiest. And even his happiest doesn't compare to this. I will admit I was worried at first, but… I'm sure you can imagine how it might feel. I certainly do my best not to judge. But you make Harry happy. Truly happy. I can't argue with something strong like that."

Draco sighed and tried his best to accept the compliment, even if he didn't feel it in his soul. He was quite certain it was the other way around.

"Still, I'm happy to see him talking to Charlie so casually again. I honestly thought the poor boy would never get over him."

Draco whipped his head back, turning his shocked expression back to Molly.

"What?!" he hissed.

"Oh! Yes, I - you didn't know? I suppose there's no use hiding it now. Charlie and Harry were an item shortly after he and Ginny…"

Draco flashed a pair of narrowed eyes at Charlie, who was looking at Harry with the kind of familiarity that set Draco on edge. So that's who'd been Harry's other.

"I see."

"Oh you mustn't fret. That was long before you. And when I see the two of you together… It's so very different."

Draco turned back to Molly, not trusting himself to look at the other side of the table any longer.

"How so?" Maybe if he knew more about what happened between them, he could deal with it better.

"I think Charlie…Well Charlie isn't really great with people, or relationships. He's better with dragons and other wild creatures. They've always been his first love, and I think they've always been his only love. I think Charlie always considered Harry someone who needed protecting. But I think Harry's always been partial to our family, and I think that has a lot to do with the kindness and unconditional love this family has offered him, when no one else had. I think in a way, he was grateful to us, and by being with Charlie, even Ginevra for that matter, was his way of linking himself to our family in a more permanent way."

Draco nodded along, but didn't feel any better about any of it. Charlie was so incredibly fit, and had this edge that was completely wild. Draco wasn't sure how he could really compare, even if the sex was miraculous, but it didn't seem to dampen his feelings at all. In fact, his heart had been pounding during their earlier kiss beneath the mistletoe.

"You'll figure it out love. Don't you worry about a thing," Molly offered kindly, then turned to take away empty plates.

Harry turned his head to look over at Draco, a bit of a perplexed expression on his face.

**++ Everything alright? ++**

_// Why wouldn't it be? //_

**++ Well… For starters, you look like you found the porn hidden under Ron's mattress. ++**

Draco choked, then gagged. Hermione's eyes widened as she patted him on the back.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just fine. Swallowed too quickly I think."

**++ I bet you did. ++**

He could hear the grin in Harry's voice, but his expression was almost completely neutral.

_// What are you hinting at… Potter? //_

Harry's eyes widened slightly, the use of his family name reminding him of the little toy still sheathed snugly inside of him. And as if the thought itself had power, Harry's body squirmed excitedly.

_// Would you like to know what else it does? //_

**++ Oh… Yes please… ++**

Draco could imagine the breathlessness in Harry's voice, and suddenly their seats felt a lot farther away than they actually were. He slipped a hand into his pocket and stroked a finger along the length of the wood. He could see the moment Harry reacted, with straightened spine and flushed cheeks. Charlie tilted his head and asked if Harry was okay, to which he responded he was fine, just feeling the warmth of the meal settle in.

Draco slid his finger up and down his wand again, knowing Harry would feel it thrusting inside of him. Harry closed his eyes, fist pressed tight to his lips. To anyone else, he probably looked a little sick, which gave Draco a brilliant idea.

Slipping out of his chair, Draco made his way to Harry.

"I'm so sorry to be cutting out early, but I don't think Harry is feeling well. I think I should get him home."

Of course, at this Harry flushed brilliantly scarlet from embarrassment, as everyone's attention was suddenly on them.

"Oh of course, dear! We'll still see you both tomorrow, at Andy's for gifties?" Molly had summoned Harry's coat and was wrapping it around him tightly.

"Yes, we will definitely be there. Thank you again for a wonderful dinner." Draco leaned in and initiated a hug with a rather startled Molly. She hugged him back twice as hard. Leaving was normally a long process, but with Harry looking a bit off, the hugs were promised for Christmas day.

As the door to the Burrow closed behind them, Draco slipped his hand into Harry's and allowed their fingers to twine together.

_____

Draco bent over the bed to retrieve his wand, once more rubbing his index finger down the length of it. The bean inside Harry grew just enough to resemble Draco's cock, and shifted in a way that felt like he was being fucked.

"OH SWEET MERLIN!" Harry nearly fell over, but caught himself on the side of the bed, hands splayed on the edge to keep him steady.

When he looked up, Draco was on the other side of the bed with the most Cheshire of grins on his face.

"And that's not all it does," Draco murmured quietly, tapping his finger against the wood. In perfect synchronicity, the bean started pulsing with each tap. Harry closed his eyes and moaned.

"Ah, Merlin. This is going to kill me. I just know it."

"Not if you're a good boy. And remember your manners while we're at dinner." Draco's expression took on the look of some voracious animal, prepared to devour the prey standing before him. He slid his finger up and down over the wand, simulating the same motions the bean did inside of Harry.

"Ggguhh…" Harry attempted to articulate, but found his body rutting forwards on its own as he was fucked by this pseudo-cock up his arse. He was fully hard now, dripping rivulets of pre-come, while Draco watched.

"Gods I could come just watching you like this… I think… Yes. I think I might just do that before we go."

Undoing his trousers, Draco slipped a hand beneath the band of his pants and grasped his cock, giving it a few firm tugs. A bed may have separated them, but Harry's noises made it feel like they were inches apart. He panted eagerly as Draco set the bean to some sort of auto-fuck mode, likely so he could use his hands on himself instead. Leaning over the bed, Draco cupped his hand beneath Harry's mouth.

"Spit."

"Oh… fuck…" Harry shivered and spat out a glob of saliva into Draco's hand. It should have been disgusting, but as Harry watched Draco pull back and use it to stroke rapidly over his own leaking dick, Harry knew it was by far the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

"Oh, Harry… Fuck, look at you. So fucking gorgeous." Draco's hand flew over his cock, as if he could barely contain how aroused he was, just from watching Harry getting fucked by some invisible cock.

The bean pulsed at random intervals, and fucked into him hard and fast, as if mimicking Draco's body. His hips jolted forward with each thrust forward, making it look as if Harry was also fucking some unseen hole, but his eyes never left Draco's hands. Draco's moans took over Harry's panting and occasional grunts, his hips bucking forward of their own accord, and the very sight of it was so exquisitely obscene that Harry found himself chasing the tails of a climax he hadn't even known was coming.

"AH! AH! D-Dray-… S-stop! A-about to, FUCK, gonna - " Harry shouted, desperation, need, and obedience kicking in and reminding him that he wasn't allowed to come without permission.

_____

_// Don't you dare come Potter. //_ Draco hissed while he fucked into the tight circle of his hand, then he tapped his wand with a free hand, stopping the bean in its place.

Harry cried out, body quaking with unresolved pressure.

**++ NO! Please!! Please, Draco, I need this! I've been so good, please! ++**

Harry's body trembled as he sobbed for release. But Draco wasn't giving in.

_// Orgasm denial is like the bread and butter of what we do, Potter. I think I've been generous thus far, but you need to learn that you won't always get to come. //_

Draco watched as Harry's whole body shook with need, but also obeyed Draco's command and took to breathing through his nose to calm himself.

_// Colour? //_

**++ …green. ++**

Draco raised a brow.

_// Are you sure about that? //_

**++ …yellow? ++**

Harry answered meekly, still trying to hold it together, but his face showed a slightly broken expression. Draco stopped everything, letting go of himself and crossing the bed to Harry while on his knees.

_// Red. //_

**++ What? No. Yellow. I said yellow, not red. ++**

_// I know what you said, and I am saying red. You aren't the only one allowed to safe word out of a scene. //_

Draco stood on his knees and pulled Harry into a kiss.

_// Hold on to me, love. //_

And Harry did. He wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders, allowing some of his weight to slump into them. When Draco broke the kiss, his hand wrapped around both their cocks, but instead of stroking, his hips gave a tentative little thrust upwards, which pulled a whine from Harry as their sensitive undersides rubbed against each other.

The bean inside of Harry returned to life, fucking Harry with resumed ferocity, causing him to shout into Draco's neck. His hips jutted forward again, dragging his spitting cock back and forth against Draco's own, the friction so fucking intense.

"Harry, I'm gonna - Fuck, I'm coming already - Shit!" Draco shouted out, bringing his other fist around them as he spilled hot all over their throbbing lengths. Harry wasn't far behind, but his voice was shot, and his body trembled in Draco's arms as he came, cock shooting so hard that it splattered both their chests in the hot seed.

Draco quickly spelled the bean out of Harry, trying to ease Harry's over-sensitive body. He tossed it aside and pulled Harry onto the bed with him.

_// Gods, you were so good, Harry. So fucking incredibly obedient. I don't know what I've done to deserve you… //_

Harry's thoughts were hazy, as he'd once again reached subspace. But from that place, Harry's thoughts centered around one simple thought.

**++ I'm the lucky one… But I'm afraid. ++**

Draco lifted his head and pressed soft kisses to Harry's forehead.

_// You should never be afraid, Harry. You are the strongest person I know… You are so incredibly brave. Besides, I'm here to keep you safe now too. //_

**++ That's why I'm afraid… ++**

Draco blinked, perplexed.

_// You're afraid, because you are strong? Or because I've promised to keep you safe? //_

**++ …I'm afraid… ++**

_// But why Harry? Why are you afraid? //_ Draco pushed. Communicating with Harry when he was deep in subspace was always tough, but Draco wanted to allay his fears.

**++ …I'm afraid… because I'm falling in love with you… And I don't know if it's real… ++**

Draco stilled. His mind raced with seventy thousand thoughts at once, because it wasn't possible that Harry could love him back. All this time his biggest fear was Harry finding out about his feelings, and blaming them on the bond. It was going back to the way things were before, knowing he'd had a taste of true love. That Harry could possibly be falling in love with him too, wasn't a thought that even occurred to him.

_// Sleep for now, love. We can figure things out in the morning… //_ Looking at the clock, Draco realized it was past midnight. Maybe Father Christmas would leave a solution for all of this under the tree.

_____

Draco woke in the middle of the night, body damp with sweat, and mind filled with images he'd rather forget. Harry woke with him, having shared the nightmare.

"Hey…" Harry whispered softly, rolling Draco onto his other side so that Harry could spoon in behind him. His arms wound around Draco's still naked body, their bodies melded together in ways that mimicked their souls. Harry pressed his nose into Draco's neck, and left soft, but lingering kisses into every inch of skin he could reach.

Draco felt soothed by the balm of Harry's strong presence. His heart began to ache again, as he realized that he never wanted this to stop. His nightmares weren't going away anytime soon, but knowing that Harry was wrapped around him, protecting him with a ferocity Draco still felt like he hadn't earned, it made falling back asleep a far easier task. Eventually Harry's breathing evened out in sleep, the soft snuffling noises helped lull Draco back into that warm place where nothing could harm them.

_____

_Same time - Somewhere in London_

The loud _pop_ of someone's Apparition reverberated like thunder in the otherwise silent alley. One figure, cloaked in darkness, leaned against the nearest brick wall to partially hide himself from view, and waited to see if this new appearance was their contact. He only knew them as 'Morgana,' which was no doubt a fake name as he too had given the name 'Reginald.' The damp chill and eerie fog created the perfect setting for their encounter, but the sudden change in time also left him feeling slightly off about the whole thing. The first rule of working this kind of market, never allow sudden changes - not for time, location, or contact. It never ended well. But the artifact being brought tonight was far too lucrative to ignore.

"Reginald? Are you alone?" the new figure asked. Footsteps clicked over the uneven cobblestones that made up the side-street.

"Of course," Reginald snapped. He was already on edge from the time change, and was just about ready to call the whole thing off. "Morgana?" he clarified.

"Yes."

"What about Potter? I assume you've taken care of that?"

Morgana snorted.

"Of course I have. What do you take me for? It won't be long before he and the Malfoy boy kill each other."

"Hey, I didn't sign up for murder." Reginald moved away from the alley wall and pointed an accusatory finger in Morgana's face, who took a step to the side.

"We aren't doing the killing. All I did was bind them in old marriage magic. You know, the kind they used for betrothals before it became illegal?"

Reginald shook his head,but still fairly certain it was murder even if they weren't the ones doing it. With a sigh, Morgana continued.

"They forced a magical connection between the betrothed, for fidelity and things like that. But it backfired because all magic is a little wild, and sometimes it does weird things. So instead of being able to share their thoughts safely and falling in love, the betrothed would try to hide their thoughts, to shield some things from the other. Each time they hid something, the magic would manifest in the form of rage or paranoia, generally anything with heightened emotions. This would go on until eventually they killed each other." Morgana grinned, clearly pleased with herself.

"So they are going to kill each other."

"That's what I just said, you useless dolt."

Reginald whipped out his wand, pointing it at Morgana. He had no interest in being insulted.

"Where's the artifact?" he snarled.

"Oh do put the wand away. We aren't barbarians." She slipped a hand into her robes and pulled out a box. When she opened the lid, they could both clearly see the glowing orb.

Just as she did, several _pop's_ reverberated around them. At least seven Aurors appeared, brandishing wands at them. Reginald grabbed the artifact from Morgana and tried to Apparate way, but was was blocked with several spells locking him in place. _Shit_.

Morgana's lips smirked as she disappeared. Damn fucking disillusionment charms. Why hadn't he thought of that?

One of the Aurors stepped forward. He looked like he might be the team leader, with the badge pinned to his right breast. But as the Auror lit his wand with a _Lumos_ , Reginald knew he was screwed.

"Ah. Mundungus. Should have known it was you…" came the gruff voice, full of authority.

"Weasley…"Mundungus Fletcher spat at the red-haired Auror. "I'm surprised they promoted you from garbage collection."

Instead of being insulted, Ron got right in Mundungus' face with the biggest shit-eating grin. "Oh I wouldn't say that… I mean, I'm collecting you after all."

Leaning back, Ron snapped at his team.

"Get him back to headquarters. I want three Aurors on him at all times." Shaking his head, Ron turned away and allowed his team to do their job, while he made notes about the scene. The artifact was safe now, in his hands, but the look of it seemed familiar… He wracked his brain to try and figure out why.

 

_____

As the sun creeped into the sky, so came Christmas morning. Softly, and like a gentle fog that rolled in through the night. Though, Harry was certain that those with children would heartily disagree. And like a child eager to see what Father Christmas left for him, Harry wondered what the day would bring for him and Draco.

Slowly sliding out of bed, Harry tucked the blanket carefully back around Draco, and made his way to the washroom. It was strange being back at Grimmauld after how much time he'd spent away. Had anyone told him a few months ago that he'd be spending so much time at Malfoy Manor - willingly - Harry would have told them to take a visit to St Mungo's.

And yet, these had been the absolute best few weeks…

He took quick steps downstairs, wincing as the cold seeped into his bare feet. Wrapping his arms around himself, Harry hoped Kreacher had already started a pot of tea for him. Normally he hated ordering the elf about, but after learning his habits, the Black family house-elf started making the pot of tea for him before he'd even gotten up for the day. It was actually rather sweet, and Harry tried to pretend it was more of a roommate thing, than a slave thing.

As he reached the kitchen, there was already a mug of hot, strong tea waiting for him under stasis, along with a letter. Harry raised his brows as he slid into the chair and hurriedly pulled the letter out of its envelope.

_Hiya Harry,_

_It's Ron. I know we've got plans to meet later, but I was hoping you could come over here before? I have something I want to talk to you about, and then we can all leave for Andy's together?_

_'Mione said she made biscuits… I can't prove she's poisoned them, but RONALD! Honestly.  
Harry, we'd love to have you over for tea later this afternoon. _

_Best,  
Hermione_

Harry chuckled, slipping the paper back in its envelope and heading back upstairs. After a quick shower, he wrote Malfoy a quick note to meet him at Andy's later, and headed over to see his best friends.


	13. Chapter 13

"Did you want to just leave the bag at the front with ours? That way we can just grab everything on the way to Andy's?" Ron suggested.

"Mm yeah, sure. You look tired, mate. All good?" Harry put his bag down and followed Ron back to the living room. 

Hermione and Ron's three-story was the epitome of homey to Harry. There always seemed to be a warm fire going, the couches and chairs were as plush and soft as the ones in Gryffindor tower had been. But the absolute best thing was the smell. Harry assumed it was Molly's influence, but Ron had taken up baking after moving in with Hermione. She'd said it had something to do with Ron trying to adjust with no longer living at home, but honestly Harry only cared about shoving delicious biscuits in his mouth. And of course now he had a new source for sugary baked goods. If he was truly lucky, Molly might have given her youngest son the treacle recipe Harry longed for.

"Yeah. Had a raid last night," Ron explained, then yawned and rubbed his eyes. 

"Poor thing hasn't slept a wink yet. Have you, Ronald?" Hermione levitated three cups of tea onto the table nearest them and stepped up to Ron's side, inserting herself around one of his arms, all the while looking up at him adoringly. 

Harry looked away. 

"Sorry for bothering you guys so early then. I probably should have just let you get some sleep instead," Harry murmured, suddenly feeling like the spare quaffle. 

"Oh tosh. You know you're always welcome here, Harry. No matter the time," Ron chastised, leaning over to kiss the top of Hermione's head with a shy smile. "In fact, I'd say your arrival is almost perfectly timed. Isn't it, 'Mione?" 

Hermione looked up adoringly at Ron, faces sharing the same love-struck expression. Looking back and forth between the two of them, Harry felt perplexed. 

"We're engaged!" Hermione practically shouted. Ron puffed out his chest proudly, as if he'd slain a dragon rather than propose to his girlfriend. 

Harry stared at the pair of them in shock for a moment, until his brain reminded him that this was a very happy, very exciting thing for his best friends, and that his response was expected to be equally positive. 

"What?! WOW! That's bloody incredible." Harry stepped forward and enveloped them both in a tight hug. It was hardly a surprise, considering how long they'd been dancing around each other since their Hogwarts days, and for a moment it reminded him of Draco. Hadn't they also been dancing around each other in their own way? 

"Language, Harry," Hermione admonished sternly, but hugged him back just as hard. Ron and Harry chuckled at the propriety even during such a big moment. 

"Sorry, 'Mione. I'm just so happy for you both. Honestly." Harry pulled back, taking a seat in the comfy chair beside the couch, figuring he'd let the happy couple sit together. 

"Thank you, Harry." Hermione beamed.

"Right, thanks, mate. But of course, you'll have to be my best mate, yeah?" 

"Ronald! That's not the way to ask-"

"Of course I'll be your best mate. Who else would you even ask?" Harry snorted, nevertheless honoured. 

"I dunno, I mean. Maybe Malfoy, with how things seem to be going so well for you both lately." 

Harry sighed and sat back in the chair. Ron blinked and Hermione stilled.

"Did…something happen? Between you two, I mean?" Hermione inquired.

"No. Yes… Maybe?" Harry sighed and scrubbed his face with his palms. Part of him wanted to pace around, but it seemed like a waste of energy. Neither Ron nor Hermione made a move to speak, clearly in sync with each other and waiting out Harry's unwillingness to talk about his emotions. Between knowing they could be stubborn for days, and actually needing someone to talk to about these new feelings, Harry gave in fairly quickly.

"I think I might be falling in love with him…" Harry groaned into his palms.

When he finally looked up, Hermione was regarding him with a careful expression, whereas Ron's face was more guarded. 

"You think?" Ron prompted.

"I'm fairly certain. But… I mean, I won't really know for sure until we get rid of this bond, you know?"

Ron nodded but stroked his chin thoughtfully. 

"I had a raid last night…" Ron started.

"Yeah, I know. You already mentioned that. What does that have to do with my current…predicament?"

"Actually, everything. You see, we apprehended the people - no, person, responsible."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. He wanted to check his thigh for the mark, but couldn't exactly take his pants off at the moment. 

"The bond is still active, if that's what you're wondering." Ron paused. "Why don't I just start at the beginning?"

_____

_Early October - Two weeks before the mission - The Minister's office_

"Take a seat, Weasley," Kingsley offered, sitting behind his desk.

Ron did as instructed, taking note of everything in the office. One never knew when some piece of information would be important. 

"You're probably wondering why I've called you in here today." 

"You want to get me involved in the raid Auror Potter will be going on, because you want to find a thief." 

Kingsley brought the tips of his fingers together thoughtfully.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've managed to figure it out. Tell me what you know."

Ron flicked a quick glance to Kingsley's desk, then back at the man himself. 

"The branch has been on high alert for the last quarter, and even though work is slow, paperwork has doubled. You've got us tracking everything. Not so much as a single pin has been undocumented. You believe items are leaving. But the only items worth taking are ones acquired on raids - cursed objects, ancient artifacts..."

Ron paused, mostly for dramatic effect.

"And because the Aurors keep less than immaculate records, you think someone from _inside_ the Ministry has been taking those items. None of the planned raids have anything worth meeting in secret over. The only person you really trust in the Ministry is Harry, and he's been booked for a meeting with you in a few weeks. This normally wouldn't raise any flags, but I reckon he signed a document that prevented him from speaking anything about it. Harry tells me everything - probably more than I want to know - so for him to hold something back usually means magical intervention."

He flicked a questioning glance to Kingsley.

"Correct so far. Please continue."

Ron nodded and stood, slowly pacing from one end of the office and around to the other end in a semicircle. 

"Right. So we have a thief, a secret meeting, and Harry. All of that means, to me, that you're planning a secret raid that involves a potentially dangerous artifact, and Harry is the only person you trust not to be the thief, and actually get it into your hands. The only thing I haven't figured out yet is if you have Harry and a solid plan, what possible help could I be?"

Kingsley flashed a grin his way, clearly impressed.

"Your reputation does you no justice."

"And I've worked hard to ensure it stays that way." 

"I see. That is why I need your help. I need a spy, someone who will assume you are just another cattle in the herd."

"And what are your expectations?"

"You'll be mostly observing, talking to people. Just as you did with this office, I want you to take in every detail. Learn everything you can, no matter how minute the detail, and see if you can't make some connections worth knowing."

Ron nodded. It was his best skill after all, though he understood now just how much he'd underestimated the Minister. After all, he'd spent years cultivating a certain reputation, and ensuring no one knew about this other side of him. The side that might have done well in Slytherin.

_____

_Nine days after the mission - Auror Department_

Ron sat at his desk, staring at the file in his hands. A lot of spell work had gone into it - some of which Hermione had casually helped with, knowing he couldn't give her any details as to why - so that no prying eyes would be able to read the contents, save the Minister and himself. 

Most of his notes were scattered, and likely didn't make any sense to anyone but himself. But that was all part of his technique, to take in everything from the obscure to the mundane and look for patterns.

But upon his opening the file this morning, there was a new addition that he'd not made, meaning Kingsley himself had added it. A thin slip of paper, written in Malfoy's writing, detailing the list of objects he'd seen before the incident, as well as what he suspected they did. After Harry's accident, things were in a kind of standstill. Most of the items were still locked down at the safe-house, but Kingsley still needed it to be cleared out. 

Kingsley's plan was to lie low until Harry could go back, but even that plan came with the complication of not knowing when Harry would be fit for duty again. Even so, Ron set the whole thing to memory. Any one of these artifacts had disastrous potential in anyone's hands, let alone someone with dark intent. 

It might be worth a visit with his fence network, just to see if anything unusual had been circulating the market recently.

_____

_Last night - somewhere in London_

After Mundungus was carted away, Ron took note of everything at the scene. There had definitely been a second person around recently, perhaps even at the same time the Aurors had arrived, but either they'd left in a hurry, or had some sort spell rendering them impossible to find. 

"Here you are, Sir." One of the remaining Aurors handed over the box with the artifact. 

"Thank you, Michaels." Taking a look inside, Ron scanned his mental database; this had most definitely been on the list of safe-house items. 

"Think the bakeries are starting early?" Michaels chuckled, referring to the sweet smell in the air.

"And they say I'm the hungry one." Ron rolled his eyes and cast a Patronus, sending it to Kingsley with the urgent request to meet at his office. "Right, let's head back. We've got an interrogation to prep for."

"And here I thought we'd be getting off early tonight," Michaels whined, but Ron raised his brow in warning. "Alright, alright." 

The sound of several _pops_ filled the air as the remaining Aurors Apparated to the Ministry.

The team was still assembled in the Atrium, wands pointed threateningly at Mundungus, when Ron and the rest of the Aurors arrived. 

"Right then. You lot take him down to the temporary cells. I want a rotating cycle of at least three Aurors on him at all times. He's slippery, and we cannot afford to lose him. I'm just going to assume you've already confiscated his wand…"

One of the Aurors stepped forward and handed over the rather run-down looking piece of wood. Ron tucked it away for now, making a mental note to fill out the proper paperwork for prisoner wand storage. 

"You three are with me." He pointed at Michaels and two others and strode towards the lifts with quick steps. There was still something not quite sitting well with him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The doors to the lift opened to the Minister's level, and the four Aurors strode down the short hallway to his door. 

Sophie was standing at her desk, looking completely out of sorts. 

"Honestly! Bothering the Minister at this hour! I swear…" Sophie fussed, but Ron held up a hand.

"He's expecting us. But I am sorry to have pulled you out of bed as well." Ron bowed his head, feeling like a right arse. He should have known that nothing happened around the office without Sophie knowing about it. That and she was the only one Kingsley seemed to actually take a cup of tea from, stating something about how she seemed to make them just right, and always said with a fond smile. 

"Go on in then, if he's expecting you." She waved a hand towards the double doors. "I'll get a cup ready for him." Ron spotted a box on her desk which, judging by the smell, contained something deliciously sweet.

As the Aurors entered the office, they saw that the Minister was not alone, and was in fact flanked by the Head Auror Robards. 

"What the bloody fuc- sorry, Minister. What on EARTH makes you think you can just summon the Minister whenever you want, Weasley?" 

"Actually, this." Ron passed over the box with the artifact. "I believe that's one of the ones what went missing from Malfoy's list." Ron was careful not to spill too much, using the barest of information while in front of so many people. Merlin knew where the leak was, and for a brief moment Ron mulled over the likelihood of it being Robards. 

Kingsley looked into the box and levitated the sphere out. He shifted it from side to side, but settled it back into its box shortly after.

"Sadly, that's not the real thing…" 

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Ron sighed and rubbed his temples. "At least we got Mundungus. He's the one fencing some of the items we've…misplaced. Once we get him talking, it won't be long before he starts naming na -" Ron paused.

There it was again. His brain throwing up red flags all over the place as pieces of the puzzle fell together.

"Sweets…" Ron's eyes widened as he grabbed his wand and turned to run out of the room. Michaels seemed to catch up at the same time, flanking Ron's side with his wand pointed towards the door. It was locked of course, but a well fired _Deprimo_ blasted it wide open.

And as he suspected, Sophie was already by the lifts, holding a box in her arms. The box he'd suspected had been sweets was likely the real artifact, and the smell, of course, was her perfume. The same thing he'd smelled earlier when they arrested Dung, and the same smell both Malfoy and Harry had described in their reports - though had written off as nothing but the sickly sweet smell of rot.

" _STUPEFY!_ " Ron shouted, wand already firing off several incapacitating spells. 

But Sophie was skilled, as was befitting the woman whose reputation was well hidden and buried beneath miles of fiction. She kept pace with both him and Michaels, blocking off their spells and casting just as many right back at them. 

" _Expulso!_ " she cast in return, but they dove at the last minute, causing her spell to explode what used to be her desk. Singed papers flew all about, as did shards of wood and splashes of ink.

" _Expelliarmus! STUPEFY!_ " Ron bellowed, wand motions blurring as Sophie fell to the ground with a loud _THUMP_! Taking a few slow steps forward, just in case she was faking it, Ron cast _Incarcerous_ as an additional precaution. He nodded at Michaels, who gave the all-clear to the remaining Aurors guarding Kingsley. They took up positions around Sophie, prepared for a fight, regardless of her inability to move. 

"Seems like you have a bit more figured out after all." Kingsley grinned as Ron and his team levitated Sophie away.

_____

_Hermione and Ron's flat - Present day_

"We had a meeting after my team finished interrogating both her and Dung. Turns out she's also the one responsible for binding you and Malfoy in ancient marriage. We've got a couple teams tearing apart the Ministry and her known residence looking for the magically binding document, and they'll let me know when they've destroyed it."

"Wait… I never signed anything though."

"Actually it goes back before your mission. The first request you got to meet with Kingsley was written by Sophie, who'd sent the same one to Malfoy. You were required to sign your name to the document as a way of requesting your silence about the meeting, but you were actually signing the marriage contract that bound you two together. It's a complicated bit of magic." Ron continued with a shrug.

"Huh…" Harry thought about all of it, but there was a lot to process. He tried to wrap his mind around how close they were to breaking the bond, which both excited and terrified him. "So wait, if the bond was created when we signed the document, how come we only started to feel the effects a week later?"

"Ah, that's the interesting part that has more to do with the old bonding magic. It technically doesn't activate until your skin touches. So probably when you flung yourself at Malfoy, some part of your skin must have touched his, and thereby activated the spell."

Harry nodded again, but gave up on trying to process it all. In the absence of more questions, Ron continued.

"We don't have everything figured out yet of course, but I'm sure Kingsley won't mind if you stopped in with me some time and asked her a few questions of your own before we cart her off to Azkaban." 

Harry nodded, mind still whirling a mile a minute.

"In the meantime, I'd recommend not hiding things from Malfoy if you can avoid it… At least until we find and destroy the contract. We don't need you guys to accidentally kill each other before we've had a chance to fix things." Ron chuckled.

"But, what about - I mean…" Harry rambled, a bit helplessly. 

"Your feelings?" Hermione helpfully supplied. 

"Yeah… I mean, what if it's mostly fabricated?"

"Dung says he was told that the feelings are usually only influenced at the beginning, and that over time your own feelings return. But I suppose we can trust Dung about as far as we can fling him…" Ron mused.

Hermione eyed him crossly.

"Harry. If you're really worried about your feelings, perhaps it's best to wait till the bond is broken? See if you really feel the same way about him then? And if nothing's changed for you, maybe tell him then…" Hermione added pityingly. 

Harry sighed and ran both hands through his hair. 

"Yeah…I suppose you're right. You usually are." Harry chuckled. "Glad you're alright, mate." He added to Ron.

"Oh! So now you're worried about me." Ron huffed. "Right spot of danger I was in, wasn't I? I tell you, always thinking about yourself, Chosen One." Ron shook his head in disbelief, but the grin on his face removed any seriousness to his tone. 

Harry rolled his eyes and stood, reaching over to smack Ron lightly on the shoulder.

"Alright you. Let's get going. Teddy will have my head if we're late."

_____

"… perhaps it's best to wait till the bond is broken? See if you really feel the same way about him then? And if nothing's changed for you, then maybe tell him then…" 

Draco had arrived to Ron and Hermione's, correctly assuming that Harry would still be here. He was brimming with excited energy after a long chat with his mother, and prepared to share his heart with Harry. But after Hermione's hesitation at the validity of their feelings, he regretted the action. As much as he'd hoped it would be different, Draco knew now that no matter what happened, Harry's friends would always remain skeptical of him. They'd always wonder about how genuine his feelings for Harry were, and as sad as it was to think, they would likely always suspect him being up to something. 

He slipped out without anyone noticing, and Apparated to Andromeda's. He'd do Christmas Day with them, as planned, then make his goodbyes to Harry, and with it: his heart.


	14. Chapter 14

Draco lingered by the tree, watching as Teddy tore open the wrapping on his gifts, growing more and more excited by the various toys, books, and other paraphernalia he got. It was rather cute actually, Draco noted as more and more guests arrived, arms loaded with wrapped boxes and bags. 

It got to the point that they had to enlarge the living room to accommodate everyone and their presents. Harry had a permanent smile on his face, and he spent most of the time running around with Teddy, playing with the various toys, and just generally being an amazing Godfather. Likely making up for the lack of having his own when he was younger. Draco knew Harry mourned deeply for Sirius, almost more than his own father. But the past was behind them both, especially today. 

**++ You're looking rather…morose over there. ++**

Draco lifted his head from where he'd moved to sit on the couch. Most had clustered into groups around the room, catching up since their last encounters, and generally enjoying their time together. Even Neville and Hannah had arrived, having spent time together with his parents at St Mungo's. 

_// Just mulling some things over in my mind. //_

**++ That reminds me. I never got to fill you in, but Ron says it was the Minister's secretary who magically bound us. Something about ancient marriage magic or something. Anyways, he says we should be unbound in the next day or so! ++**

Harry's excited energy filtered through their connection, and yet Draco couldn't find it in him to feel the same way. That meant he had a day or so left before he had to give Harry up, and regardless of how Hermione may have felt earlier, she didn't have to be privy to everything that happened between now and then. He tapped his hand on the cushion next to him, and shifted his angle to show he wanted Harry to come sit against him. Mostly he just wanted to feel the warm press of Harry's body against his, but since this was a family gathering, Draco would have to make due.

Harry settled in at his side after tagging Ron in to play with Teddy. Draco draped one arm over Harry's shoulders and pulled him in closer. 

**++ So what's got you thinking so heavily? ++**

Draco leaned in, pressing his lips to Harry's temple, thinking back to the day he'd had.

_____

_Earlier Christmas Day - Malfoy Manor_

Draco sighed as he exited the Floo, brushing away any stray ash from his clothes. He looked at his bed, where the house-elves had left his mail. Aside from the various pure-blood family parcels, there was a letter that caught his attention.

_Happy Christmas Draco,_

_I wanted to convey my best wishes for the season to you and to your family. I know that we didn't get to meet this month, and that we'll resume again in the new year, however I thought I might send some thoughts to you all the same._

_Christmas is a time for many things, namely: love, truth, and being together as a family. I say those three things specifically because they pertain to your situation._

_As you know, I also treat your Mother's mental health, and over the years I'd like to think that I've gotten to know you both fairly well. Which is why I think it's important that you both put aside whatever anger or resentment you might be feeling towards each other, and actually talk things through. It's clear to me that you both love each other very much, but there are some things holding you both back from a deeper relationship._

_And while you might be thinking that is something you could live without, I should also like to add another thought. You've kept a lot of yourself locked behind a wall, never allowing anyone close enough to see the pain and anguish you might truly be feeling. If you aren't careful, something small might be all it takes to allow the wall to take over. You might end up shutting everyone out completely, and for the rest of your life._

_I suppose all I'm really saying, Draco, is take a chance. It's Christmas day. It's a chance for you to speak what is on your heart, and listen in return._

_I've written more than I thought I would say on the matter, and for that you have my apologies. I do sincerely wish you the best holidays, and will look forward to hearing from you in the new year._

_Best wishes,  
Healer Ardashir Dana_

Draco sighed as he let the letter fall down to the bed. Ardashir wasn't wrong, but that was a big step he was asking of Draco, especially considering he and his mother have never had a conversation about their lives, aside from the generic: _did you pass your exams, I want you to meet the daughter of so-and-so, why yes I did get a haircut._

Still, Draco conceded...It was Christmas after all. 

They decided that talking in the Salon would be the most neutral place for hashing out their issues. The drapes were opened wide to allow some light in, but they were met with the sight of large fluffy flakes falling gracefully from the sky. The house-elves had even brought freshly steeped tea to keep them warm. 

The initial awkwardness melted into casual conversation, and for a while Draco worried that they might not get to the heart of things after all. That was until his mother went silent for a moment, and when she did finally speak, her voice was quiet but even. 

"When were you planning on telling me about the Potter boy?" 

Draco felt panic shoot through him. This was not exactly how he was hoping to come out to his mother, let alone the fact that he didn't know how much longer Harry would be his for.

"Do you want the vague answer, or the real answer?" he murmured, bringing the cup of tea to his lips, but feeling as small as he did when he was five and being chastised over breaking a precious vase.

"I want the truth, Draco," Narcissa snapped. 

"I don't know what to tell you… I hadn't really thought about how my worlds might collide. I tried not to think much about the future because who even knows what's going to happen…So really, I was just flying by the seat of my trousers."

Narcissa pursed her lips, then took a sip from her own cup. 

"Let's just… Hypothetically, if there were a future there. You and Potter, living your lives together." She paused and looked at him, her eyes piercing him right through the heart. "Would you have told me then?" 

Draco sighed. 

"What do you want me to say, Mother? Probably not. We don't exactly talk about shit anymore."

"Draco!" Narcissa tutted. "Language, Darling. Please." 

Draco bowed his head in apology. 

"You always had plans for me. To wed, have an heir, carry on the family name. I can't exactly do that with Potter… So why would I tell you something that's just going to upset you?"

"I'm not as fragile as this teacup, much as you seem to think I am…" She placed the porcelain back down on the tea cart and laced her fingers over her knee. "Son… What I want for you, is your happiness. If that means Potter is a bigger part of your life, then there are worse people you could fall for." 

Draco blinked in surprise. Never in his wildest imagination did he ever think his mother would give him her blessing. Not for his sexuality, and definitely not for Harry. And yet here she was giving him rampant approval. 

"I-" Draco couldn't make the words come out.

"Why don't you start by telling me about him?"

Although he hesitated, it wasn't long before Draco's mouth opened and happiness came flowing out. He left out the parts about the bond, but otherwise he told her everything about Harry that he'd learned, and how much he'd really come to admire and respect the Gryffindor. Draco noticed the small smile on Narcissa's face as he spoke, forcing him to realize that much of what he'd assumed about their relationship was based entirely on his own inability to actually talk about his feelings.

"It sounds like you feel something very special for him."

"I - Mum, I think I'm in love with him…" Draco wanted the words to sound happy, to be filled with the kind of joy that saying those words should. Instead, they sounded hollow and achingly desperate. 

"Oh. My little Prince." Narcissa placed her cold hand over Draco's, her face empathizing completely with him. Maybe they had more in common that he'd originally thought. He got out of his chair and slumped to his knees in front of her chair, wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and sobbed. 

Time stood so still as Draco gathered his emotions and ensured that he'd kept the wall in place. 

"I was never really mad at you, you know…" Draco started. It hurt to take the bandage off, but it would be far more cathartic if they managed to get everything out there. 

"Oh?" Narcissa hid behind the word, knowing exactly what Draco was referring to but hesitant to say anything that might provoke a worse conversation.

"I… I was in love with Blaise. For a very long time. I thought it was going to be him and me at the end of it all, carving out a path for ourselves and our future. Pretending to be single at these balls and galas as a way to make each other jealous, then come home and…I'm sure you can extrapolate."

Draco didn't look up, but he did head over to the fireplace and levitate some logs into the empty pit. With a simple _Incendio_ , the logs caught fire and slowly began to warm the room. 

"How much has he told you?"

"Everything."

Draco sighed, somehow completely unsurprised. 

"So you can understand then, how little I trust him? How I hate that he's with you and I hate that it was all just a game for him when he was with me?" 

Narcissa brought her cup of tea over, and tried to gracefully settle on the fur carpet in front of the now roaring fire. Somehow she even made that look aristocratic with so little work. 

"He never meant to hurt you, Draco…" 

"Of course he did! He still tortures me!" Draco hissed. "He reminded me of that recently."

"Actually, he was trying to get you to focus all your hate on him so that I would still be perfect in your eyes. But he didn't understand that you blamed me as well. And would do."

"He certainly managed that," Draco murmured sourly.

"He loved you… Way back then, before the war, before Bella… He was just as in love with you as you were with him." 

"That's not true. He made it clear that he was only interested in me to get to you."

"Yes, he did _say_ that. But that is not how he felt. When he learned what Bella had seen in your mind, he had to end things with you. If you knew how he felt, she would know too, which meant he had to make you think that he was using you. If you were anything less than sure, Bella might have done something just to spite you both." 

Draco conceded that point, knowing his sadistic Aunt would have used any fragment of hope he might have held inside, against him. 

"He ended things clearly with you, as bitterly as he could, and left to keep you safe. By the time he came back it was clear that things would never be the same between you both, but he always hoped you and Potter might get together. At least that way some of his guilt would be - "

"But he - recently, he made some comments. He made it clear that it was never me. If he was only trying to save me, then why, after all these years, would he bother pressing the point home again? Why not just tell me the truth?" 

Narcissa put her cup aside and rubbed her hands together in front of the fire. 

"It's like I said before. He could see that you were harbouring anger and resentment towards me as well, so he did what he had to in order for you to focus all that hate on him instead. Little did he know just how stubborn you are." Narcissa clicked her tongue disapprovingly. 

Draco couldn't deny the reason there either… Perhaps he had been a bit stubborn, but that was how the heart worked. When it was broken, shattered into a million pieces, it didn't answer to reason. Still, there was one more question lingering on his mind.

"How… Why did you - " But the words didn't come. How was Draco supposed to ask the hardest question of them all, the one he didn't really want an answer to. 

"How did we…happen?" Narcissa supplied. Draco nodded his head weakly, the light of the fire reflected in his silver hues.

"When he and his mother returned from the war, I had them for tea. Blaise stayed after his mother left, intent on trying to talk to you. But you sent a few hexes his way, and refused further contact. He was wandering around aimlessly when we bumped into each other. I offered him some tea, but after a little chat we ended up getting into something a little… stronger."

There was a coy little smile as his mother recalled some memory. Draco shuddered as he tried to avoid the mental images. 

"After that time, he would come by occasionally to have tea with me, or dinner… We discovered an extraordinary amount of things we had in common, from books to music, food and wine selections, and even taste in celebrity." Narcissa sported a rare smile, genuinely happy as she recalled the start of her whirlwind romance. Draco found himself enraptured by the story, curiously not as filled with hate for his former best friend and his mother. Perhaps Harry had been rubbing off on him in more than one way. 

"It took some time," Narcissa continued, "before we moved past casual tea and dinner. Along the way his feelings for me changed, as did mine. What had once been a brilliant friendship, had blossomed into unexpected romance. And the rest…you already know." 

Draco took a moment to mull over her story. It could have been much worse, but having known Blaise as well as he did, he knew just how charming the bastard could be. He didn't doubt for a moment that his mother had fallen head-over-heels in the same way Draco had, but there was still a part of him that didn't fully trust Blaise. It was the part of him that worried about his mother enduring the same kind of pain he once did.

"Are you certain then? That he feels the same for you as you do for him?"

"He cares for me, Draco. I know that you've had your issues with him, and I can't change how you feel, but after the cold unfeeling relationship I had with your Father… I had never known what it could mean to be loved like this. Can you find it within yourself to accept that? Don't I deserve what you have with Harry?"

Draco felt his heart clench, knowing his parents hadn't had the best relationship and that everything had mostly been perfect for the cameras. But that his mother actually chose to plead with him to accept her happiness, absolutely broke his heart. 

"Oh Mother…" He reached out and embraced her. They'd hugged more today than they'd had since he was a child, but it felt right.

_____

_Andromeda's flat_

"In the end, I told her that it was important to me that we move. There is nothing short of razing it to the ground, then burning and salting the earth, that I feel would cleanse it…and even then. I think she understands and will start looking to sell the land as soon as she can. She and Blaise are considering getting a place of their own," Draco finished, feeling a bit winded, though he'd left out the sections of the story that touched on his feelings for Harry. 

Harry stared at Draco in awe, his hands still running gently over the blond's in a calm soothing motion. 

"Blimey... Draco, I - I'm so proud of you. That must have taken a lot out of you both. But, take it from someone who no longer has their mother… I'm glad you were able to preserve your relationship." 

Draco chuckled and pressed his lips to Harry's temple once more, unable to find the words to respond. He looked around, noting that they'd reduced in size by half, with the remaining guests playing a hearty game of something that involved wizarding crackers. He side-eyed Harry, assuming the Gryffindor was likely to jump out of his arms and play, but his eyes locked with emerald green staring right back at him.

 **++ I think…you should take me home. ++**

Those stunning eyes were filled with so much heat, they may as well have been simmering embers.

_____

It could have been the high intensity of emotions that day, it could have been that it was Christmas, or it could have been the knowledge that the bond would be broken soon and change the dynamic of their relationship - whatever the reason, they moved almost synchronistically slow, with gentle and deliberate intention. Each touch, each kiss, had meaning. 

They'd stripped bare the moment their feet touched the ground after Flooing back too Grimmauld. But after sliding into bed together, it was as if time stood still. 

With Draco's back pressed into the bed, Harry explored with hands and lips, mapping out every inch of porcelain flesh and committing it to memory. His tongue delved into the softest crevices, tasting and taking his fill of Draco, like a starving man at a banquet. His beard scratched roughly against Draco's soft skin, but he loved every second of it. 

This time they didn't share words. Everything was feeling, raw energy. Nothing permanent lingered in either of their minds, only the splendour of the moment. Harry's lips dragged gently over Draco's shoulder, until his chin was grabbed and they kissed once more. They did this a few more times, where Harry tried to caress, lick, or bite, some part of Draco, only to be pulled back into a searing kiss.

Once again, space and time lost their meaning; this moment was theirs alone, in a bubble apart from the world. 

Draco felt the need to be inside Harry, and after rolling their positions, and a quick spell to slick those well-stretched muscles - perhaps a little tender still from so much use the last few weeks - he pressed in until he was fully seated inside Harry. With Harry's back to the bed, it still didn't feel like enough. Motioning that Harry should wrap his arms behind Draco's neck, he grasped his thighs, lifted, and sat back. 

It looked almost as if Harry was simply sitting in Draco's lap, with his legs kneeling on either side of Draco's thighs. But it was much more intimate. Harry raised himself up on shaky knees, slipping Draco's cock partially out of him until only the tip remained. 

There was a subtle switch in the dynamic, where suddenly Draco felt vulnerable and exposed while Harry took control by gently taking Draco's chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting his head back and kissing him softly, all the while leisurely sinking his body back down. Their bodies moved like the tide, unhurried and tranquil, because rushing would bring an end to this perfect moment. 

Draco stared in awe at the perfection of Harry's face, watching every minute reaction to the flexing of his hips. He leaned in and pressed his lips to the softness of Harry's neck, mouthing, laving, and making love to the flushed skin with his tongue. Harry's head fell back on a gasp, hips rolling against Draco's in measured movements. 

But there was a growing need building between them, and it overrode the slow momentum with pure desperation. Still, Draco kept a firm grip on Harry's arse, keeping the steady pace, because he would be damned if this was going to end now. He knew Harry could see the hunger written clear across his face, he could see it reflected in Harry's own expression. 

Once more, the powerful pull towards climax reached him and with an aching moan, Draco pulled Harry down into a hard kiss, lips smearing together like paint, and bodies crashing together like waves on the shore. Harry's soft gasps and grunts quickly turned to heated moans, as Draco flexed his hips harder, and used the strength of his arms to help Harry slam himself down on Draco. 

Harry's cock lay weeping between them, untouched and throbbing. And maybe it was the building need, perhaps it was the sight of Harry so wild and untamed in this moment - whatever it was, Draco came on a soft sob with his face burrowed in Harry's neck. Harry wasn't far behind, spurting jets into the heated space between them, as Draco continued to empty himself inside him. 

As their breathing slowed, Harry pulled back with a tilt of his head.

"Draco…?" 

He swiped a finger against Draco's cheek, and when it pulled away they both stared at small clear droplet. Harry stared in shock as slow tracks of tears fell from Draco's eyes, but no sound, no other sound of sobbing came out. Draco looked just as shocked, as if he hadn't even realized the tears were spilling from his own eyes. 

He cracked half a smile and bashfully wiped his face against Harry's shoulder. When he eventually pulled out, Harry was close to passing out. In fact, Draco watched as Harry's eyes closed the second his head hit the pillow. For a moment, he stayed and watched the Gryffindor sleep, memorizing every sacred inch, wishing desperately that things could be different.

There was no longer any doubt in his mind. Draco was desperately in love with Harry. Which meant that he had to end things before the bond broke. There would be no future here with him, as much as he wished it weren't true, but Hermione's words from earlier rang through his mind, reminding him that Harry's friends and family would never accept him beyond the surface. And he'd be damned if Harry came to resent him for that in the future. Harry needed his family more than he could need Draco. 

Gathering his clothes, Draco took one last look at the man who would forever hold his heart, and left.

_____

_Two months later;_

With the bond broken, both men found themselves settling back into old routines. Of course, Harry was right miserable for a solid month, not having expected Draco to just leave. He never even had the chance to say goodbye, as any letters sent to him never received a reply, and his trip to the Manor revealed that it had been sold fairly quickly, and was in the middle of being demolished. 

He spent the rest of December and at least half of January sullen and hiding away at Grimmauld Place. The wards were left open to Draco, on the off chance that he'd come back But Harry knew better. He'd been hoping for the best case scenario once the bond was broken, so much so that he'd almost forgotten the worst. And here it was smacking him hard in the face: they may not have the mental connection any longer, but the furiously painful love that was in his chest for Draco was still there. Harry was still completely, desperately, and miserably in love with Draco. 

It was at the end of February when he allowed a bit of sunshine back in his life. The only thing that actually pulled Harry out of his winter slumber and despondence was Teddy. It was a small letter - hardly a letter at all actually, mostly just drawings of them hanging out together, depictions of brooms and other stick figure things. And at the bottom was a simple 'I miss you, love Teddy' in childish scrawl. 

It was enough to snap Harry out of his daze, shower, and actually dress himself. His godson, the most important thing in his life, didn't deserve to be left out in the cold simply because Harry had a broken heart. 

His decision to Apparate over, without warning or prior invitation, filled him with regret the moment he stepped through the family room and saw Teddy surrounded by his Christmas acquisitions, playing with Draco. Andy sat on the couch, a cup of tea in hand, and was talking to Draco while he played with Teddy. It was so surreal seeing Draco like this again, in the place where it all began.

The hardest part was knowing they couldn't mentally communicate anymore, but still, just being here after two months of radio fucking silence - Harry could feel a tingle of rage creeping up his spine again, and this time he knew it had nothing to do with the bond. He turned to leave, but didn't make it a couple steps when Teddy noticed him and shrieked. Draco looked up then, catching his eye, looking embarrassed at least. 

"Sorry, Teddy. I didn't realize you already had guests. I'll come back another time." His voice was strained, and he focused to keep himself from looking back. 

"Noooo! Harry, no! You have to stay and play with us!" Teddy whined, wrapping himself around Harry's leg and clinging. 

"I don't know if I should, Teddy…" 

"It's alright. I'll leave. I've stayed longer than I had planned anyways." Harry's cheeks flushed from the mere sound of Draco's voice, as if his body remembered all the sinfully depraved things those lips could do. 

"NO!" Teddy panicked, reaching an arm out to grasp Draco's trousers when he tried to pass by. "YOU CAN'T!" Teddy's voice hit a level of panic that was near sobbing. The poor thing began to hiccup as his body tried to contain all the emotion. "You can't _-hic-_ both leave! It's _-hic-_ been forever since we've _-hic hic-_ gotten to play _-hic-_ all together." Tears fell in big globs from Teddy's big green eyes. 

Harry melted to the ground, wrapping his arms around Teddy tight. 

"Oh Ted-ward. Hey now, silly man." Harry pulled back and swiped his thumbs across those plump pouting cheeks, wiping away the remaining tears. "There's no need for that. Of course I'll stay and play with you and Draco. I just didn't want to intrude on your special time. Alright, little man?"

Teddy nodded solemnly, but didn't let go of Harry. He kept one arm wrapped tight around the back of Harry's neck, while the other one reached up for Draco. When Harry looked up, he saw that Draco was looking right at him, as if checking in to see if it was alright. Another downside to no longer being mentally connected. It would probably take some adjusting of course, as anything did, but Harry subtly shrugged, leaving the choice to stay up to Draco. But he wasn't any more resistant to Teddy's puppy dog eyes than Harry was, and soon they found themselves playing on the floor once more. 

It didn't take long for them to fall into old patterns and rhythms of teasing and goading. And while most of it is strained, Harry would look up and see a spark of something in Draco's eyes. While he'd outright expected hate from Draco, perhaps there was something leftover that lingered. Harry shoved the hope aside, not willing to allow himself to follow that road only to get burned once more. 

But it was so very difficult when Draco was being charming as shit, and smiling at him in that coy way of his. His expression reminded Harry of a cat who smugly brought its owner some rodent to eat, which - through a complicated series of segues - caused his mind to think of McGonagall staring at him like that. Harry shuddered.

As the day wore on, frustration battled with infatuation as Harry began to realize how time apart had done absolutely nothing to dampen his feelings for the prat. In the end, frustration won out, because how dare the bastard look so complacent while Harry's feelings were at war! Deciding that enough was enough, Harry waited till Draco stepped off to the loo, before making his excuses and heading out.

_____

When Draco returned, and saw Harry already left, Draco panicked and said his goodbyes too. This was not how he was hoping it would go, but if he could at least talk to Harry then they might get some kind of resolution after all. 

Knowing the only place Harry would go at a time like this, Draco Apparated to Grimmauld Place, surprised as the wards allow him through. Maybe they did have a chance after all.

"Harry…?" Draco called out, closing the door behind him.

"Kitchen," came the resigned reply. 

Draco walked into the kitchen, bracing himself for the worst. 

"Hi…" he started awkwardly. 

Harry stared at him from his seat at the table, fingers playing with the rim of a cup that presumably held tea, brow raised paired with a stern expression could only mean trouble for Draco. And yet, all the signs so far proved to him that there might be a chance. 

"I guess I should start with: I'm sorry." 

Harry's eyes narrowed, but he remained quiet. Draco took a seat at the table, facing Harry. He drummed his fingers on the table, lips pursed in contemplation. How exactly was he supposed to go about telling Harry about his feelings? Would Harry even believe him at this point?

"Harry, I - I left because I thought it was the right thing to do." 

"Oh? Is that right? Got your last shag in, and decided that was it then?" Ice lingered over each word. 

"No, that's not - I didn't - " He stumbled over his words. "I'm in love with you, Harry. I have been for a while. I left because I was afraid it wasn't going to work. That no one would accept us, and that you would resent me for it."

Although it was the truth, Draco knew it was a paltry excuse. Harry pushed himself out of his chair, scraping the wood roughly from force. 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me with that shit, Draco."

"What do you want me to say, Harry? It wasn't my best idea, I'll grant you, but I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing? Who gave you the right to decide what the right thing was?" Harry snapped, pointing a sharp finger into the center of Draco's chest. "Why did you get to decide to leave when you never even talked to me about what the issue was?" 

"I - "

"NO!" Harry snarled. "You don't get to talk now. You gave up the right to talk about it. Now you get to shut up and fucking listen."

Draco nodded, conceding the point.

"You told me that in our kind of relationship, you had to have trust. Trust and communication was the most important thing, right? Tell me how I'm supposed to trust you now? You just walk away from everything, like it never meant anything to you, and I'm supposed to just sit here and pick up the pieces?"

"It always meant something to me - " Draco tried to interject.

"YOU BROKE MY FUCKING HEART, DRACO!" Harry shouted, hurling his tea cup across the other side of the kitchen, the sound of it shattering causing Draco to wince. "I was so in love with you and you just… _took off_. I tried reaching you for so long, until I had to give up. There's only so long a person can go on before eventually they realize there's no hope."

Draco didn't know how to process, but let Harry vent because sometimes the best course of action was simply to listen. He'd learned that lesson the hard way more than once now. 

"You are such a fucking arse…" Harry sighed and slumped into his chair again, his elbows rested on the table, and his hands ran dejectedly through his hair. "I wanted nothing more to do with you. And then you just show up in my life again, like the past two months never happened."

Draco looked up from his hands, watching as Harry frowned.

"You flirt with me, tease me, act like you didn't just completely walk out on me. And then you come after me." Harry lifts his head, eyes red but not watery. Draco had the distinct impression that Harry no longer had any tears left to shed, and that cut him deeper than anything that had happened thus far. Harry had been through so much in his life, and in that moment Draco saw the image of the little boy in the cupboard, who so desperately yearned for love.

"I don't deserve you, Harry. I never have, but I want to."

"And what if you just leave again? You did once before."

"I made a mistake. You know I'm an idiot, and that I've made more than my share already. I was there, at Hermione and Ronald's, when she told you to wait to tell me how you felt. I…may have wrongly assumed that she meant you didn't really feel that way about me. I worried that they would never accept me, and I didn't want to ever make you choose between me and them so, I took myself out of the equation. But that doesn't mean I ever stopped loving you. Not for a single moment."

Harry shook his head on a sigh.

"She found you and yelled at you, didn't she?"

Draco didn't even need to ask who.

"Yeah. She's a good friend. She not-so-delicately told me that I was being an idiot, and an arsehole. And that I had to talk to you about how I felt. Or else she'd drag me here herself by wand-point." 

They both chuckled, knowing without a doubt she would have made good on her threat. 

"I went to Aunt Andromeda's to try and sort myself out before coming to talk to you. And then you showed up anyways."

Harry sighed and folded his arms one over the other.

"So where does that leave us then." He looked at Draco seriously. 

Draco thought carefully about what to say before he opened his mouth. The wrong thing could end it all before it had a chance to begin again. But he realized that words wouldn't be enough. He started to lift his shirt, when Harry's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious? You're gonna try - You can't possibly think I'm going to sleep with you right now?" Harry demanded, shock written clearly on his face.

Draco wanted to laugh, but focused on getting his jumper high enough over his chest, to display the vibrant ink on his chest in the same place their bonding mark had been. Harry blinked in surprise.

"Is that…?" He leaned forward but hesitated at the last second.

"Yeah. It is."

The tattoo of the Peverell crest flowed with colour and vibrancy in the way their bond mark never had. Harry tilted his head but sat back, looking strangely vulnerable. Draco dropped his jumper and folded one of Harry's hands in his. 

"I know that it's not going to be easy. It's going to take a lot of work, and patience, but I want to try. You are a part of me, have been for some time. You own my heart, Harry," Draco brought their hands to the spot where his tattoo was now covered. "This is proof of that." 

"It's inevitable, isn't it?" Harry watched him carefully. 

"I like to think so. I don't plan on running anymore, unless it's to chase after you." He grinned. Harry couldn't help laughing and shaking his head.

"I must be an idiot for even considering this. And you're right, you aren't even close to off the hook yet. I'm still righteously pissed at you. But I suppose you can take me to dinner sometime. I'll have to check when I'm free though." Harry inspected his hand carefully, feigning casual disinterest. 

Draco grinned and tugged Harry's hand to his lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

_____

The cell was cold, damp, and absolutely miserable. But it was nothing compared to the cell that awaited her at Azkaban. Sophie stared at the bars with agitation, livid that her plans had failed and her life had slipped through her fingers. All because she hadn't accounted for Weasley. 

He was far more intelligent than she had initially suspected, however he also made the mistake of underestimating her again. She wasn't the reigning Queen of the Underground for nothing, after all… And as soon as her lackeys broke her out of this cage, Sophie would ensure that Ronald Weasley never underestimated her again. She would make sure he'd live to regret humiliating her like this. 

 

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment below. ♥
> 
> This work is part of HD Erised, an on-going anonymous fest. The creator will be revealed January 7th.


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